Untold Fantasy
by ExcelTales
Summary: Yuna, Tidus and the group get sucked into a whole different world called Excel. They meet Teal and his friends, and together they journey to save Excel, and find a way to Spira. A tale of an adventure between familiar and original characters. Links to original character art included! Please review if you have time!
1. Prologue: The Moon That Ties Them

UNTOLD FANTASY

Prologue: The Moon That Ties Them

(Artwork for original characters on DeviantArt  
Deviant Name: RiukiArt  
Enjoy!)

EXCEL

It had been two years. Two long, quiet years. There were no wars, no hate. Everyone lived peacefully and helped each other. This was Teal's wish, for everyone to live free of hate and to build a better future, for everyone. Of course, there were still Guards, still monsters roaming, still reason to need to protect.  
That's all he had ever wanted, to protect. He was living with Aureolin and Scarlett in the rebuilt Guard tower in the center of town. Their hometown, Arms Isle, was small; it was easy to see far beyond the town gates atop the Guard tower's lookout. That's where Teal was right now, looking off into the sunset, a clear red-orange lit sky that grew more hazy, almost pastel-like, the closer it got to the horizon. This was the other thing he had wished for. Teal had rid the world of those dreaded foggy skies, everything was clear now. He looked away, in the direction where the moon would rise.

Teal thought about his friends. It had been a long time since they had parted.  
He was sure Yynx had made Dojo Master by now, and she and Jett were to be married tomorrow. He'd be sure to be there. Lukahs had earned a fortune in the Arena, and had used it to rebuild the orphanage and find the children good homes. He had adopted Lola and Keyo, so that they didn't have to be separated. Briar and Blaine had made a treaty and formed an alliance between their hometowns, and now both were active in trade and organized hunts together often. Teal was sure they were learning more and more about each other, making up for so many lost years. He remembered that Arc and Kunori were from a place where time is slowed, they'd probably be back there. Thy was no doubt learning how to lead his pack, and still performing those beautiful songs he used his magic to create. Teal thought back on the year he spent in Thy's hometown. Thy would be grown now, having only been 15 when they met and 16 when they parted. Teal remembered how happy he was when his uncle, Dens, came back from Skye, and then remembered the horrified look on the kid's face when his uncle died in that last fight…

Teal never wanted to see anyone that way again. But his friends were resilient, they'd all gone their separate ways, and moved on with their lives in peace.  
That's what he had been hoping for, for everyone to make new lives. The Beast was gone, he had defeated it with his allies, his friends. Excel was at a time of peace, and Teal would make sure it would stay that way forever.

That's what Cyan would want.

SPIRA

Yuna stood over the waters of Besaid, on the dock, looking out to the horizon.  
The sun wasn't setting on this side, but that didn't matter. She liked the look of the purple mixing with the blue in the sky, shifting to orange-red to her left. The sight of the darkened waters flowing endlessly as if they had nothing holding them back. That's how she felt right now. Aside from having to go to bed for the big day tomorrow, she realized there was nothing stopping her from jumping in, taking a swim and feeling free. Was this why Tidus loved the water so much?

She sat at the edge, and dipped her pale feet into the dark water. It felt too cold at first, but her feet warmed up to it after a few moments. Yuna hummed the Hymn of the Fayth to herself, looking out to the direction opposite the sunset- that's where the moon would be rising very shortly. She was the only one who had noticed it; everyone else was so preoccupied preparing the ceremony.

Raising her feet out of the water, Yuna slid backwards a bit, and pulled her feet onto the dock.

It would be there tonight, as well. On the very top of the moon, a small gap between the outline and the sky, shaded white. As if the sky were paper and someone had erased part of a drawing. Yuna laughed to herself. That was a funny way of putting it, but it did look like that. She began to think back on everything that happened the last few years. Starting her pilgrimage, meeting Tidus. Yuna remembered all of the hardships they had faced together, all of the trouble she had put her friends through. And then Tidus disappearing… He was a dream of the Fayth, something thought up.  
After they saved Spira from Sin, after she brought the Eternal Calm. Her friends helped her get through it, but then Kimahri left to help at Mt. Gagazet, Auron vanished as well, having been unsent all along. That left Lulu, Wakka and Rikku.  
Rikku convinced her to leave, and that's what she did. It was what she needed, and it helped. She met Paine, joined the Gullwings, became a Sphere Hunter- and saved the world, again. She got Tidus back after that. It's been two years since then, two years of peace, calm. The thing was… Yuna was scared. She had felt something calling to her, just recently. And she was the only one who noticed this thing with the moon. But that wasn't going to stop her big day.

Yuna and Tidus were getting married! She realized when she got him back- she never wanted to be without him again. When he proposed she had accepted without even wavering. Yuna had spent her life giving for Spira, now she finally had something for herself. She sighed, smiled and looked up. How much time had passed? The moon was nearly half visible, a large white gray spot out in the now dark purple horizon. Sure enough, there it was. At first, she had thought it was the moon's glow. But this was different. It was clearly something to worry about- looking into the water confirmed her thoughts. The white gap had no reflection. It was no light, it was behind the moon.

Standing up, Yuna brushed herself off and headed back to the hut her and Tidus shared. Something was about to happen in Spira.

-  
Read on to Chapter 1! If you like it, leave a review!


	2. Chapter 1: Two Weddings at Dawn

UNTOLD FANTASY

CHAPTER 1: TWO WEDDINGS AT DAWN

My characters are on DeviantArt, my name there is RiukiArt.  
There are others that aren't mentioned too, I'll get to posting them when they pop up. Feel free to peek. Enjoy!

EXCEL

"Cyan!"  
Teal screamed as he jumped up from his bed. He was sweating intensely, but didn't care. He had just dreamed about his brother- the one he had killed with his bare hands. Why? It had been four years since then, why was he having nightmares now? Teal spun and climbed out of bed, stumbling toward the shower. It wasn't the great mechanical showers Excel had long ago, but it was soothing, like a waterfall.  
"Cyan…why were you in my dream?" Teal thought of every thing he could possibly imagine. There had to be a reason.

Teal thought back to the dream. Cyan had been saying something. What was it?! Teal grabbed the dry cloth he had hung there the night before and began scrubbing himself clean of any sweat and dirt. He stood there, bathing in the hot water for what seemed like forever. He had to head out to Battal soon, he was arriving via Airship, and wanted to look his best. But he couldn't get that damned dream out of his head! What was the big deal?

Stepping out of the shower, Teal walked over to his makeshift wardrobe. He picked up the gray cotton doublet and the dark green half-coat that was standard for Head-Guards. He knew he'd have to look his best, so he had sent it to his friend at the Weaver's Guild to have it fixed up. Pulling out a pair of black pants, he threw it on and then, looking in the mirror, tidied his hair and face up. He put on a pair of Aldgoat hide boots, their light brown color just matching his wooden floor.

He would wake Aureolin and Scarlett in an hour. He had to check something out first, before dawn. Walking out to the balcony, Teal looked in the direction of the moon. At first he felt cautious, but then he just felt odd. He had been so sure there would be something. He stared at it again, up in the deep, spacious dark blue.  
Wait, there was something odd about this. Just below the moon, a small sliver of pure white- not like the light, it was just….there. As if it were lurking behind the moon. It wasn't something solid, it was…like a gap in space. Teal shuddered at this, and slowly his eyes widened, he felt panic. He remembered the word in his dream, remembered the slow movement of his brother's lips as he forced the word out, the sad emphasis in Cyan's voice.  
"Moon".

SPIRA

Tidus was hogging all the covers again! Yuna had to crawl up close to him, practically using HIM as cover. But she didn't mind, she loved being near him either way. She just wished it would be an option as opposed to something she needed to do to keep warm at night! Not that she was THAT cold. Man, no matter what she thought of, Yuna couldn't get upset, even the slightest bit! She was marrying Tidus at dawn, she had to be up in about an hour to prepare.

Oh, man. Tomorrow, Yuna would get to see everyone she loved, and be happier than she'd ever been! She'd worry about anything else after. Even the moon. Yuna still hadn't told anyone about it, maybe she should mention it to Tidus…no, it was his big day too! She wouldn't ruin it on him like that! Yuna looked over at her blonde hero. He had rescued her, when she needed him he had appeared out of thin air, steadied her resolve, and then helped her save Spira. This wedding… this was a gift from the Fayth.

Yuna took a deep breath. She needed it, especially since she'd be squeezed into a small dress soon! She walked outside of the hut, and took in the fresh air. She felt the cool wind in her medium brown hair, and the way the wind made it sway to her left made her remember how her hair used to look, after Tidus left, she changed it because she wanted to be more grown. Her hair had been really long when she got him back, but she'd cut it down, she wanted to live a new life, forget the time she was without him. Maybe she'd put her hair back the way it was when she'd started her pilgrimage? It would look nice for the wedding, not too formal, just right.

Yuna looked at the moon again, saw it setting over the outline of the horizon, and realized she had been thinking longer than she'd thought. With a quick breath, and a single look at the man she loved, Yuna turned and walked toward Lulu's hut to quietly prepare for her wedding.

"Yuna, you're up early." Lulu looked at the young woman and smiled. She had been up early as well, putting some finishing touches on Yuna's wedding gown.  
"Wow, Lulu this is beautiful!" Yuna exclaimed silently so as not to wake the baby and Wakka. It was her first time seeing the silver floral adornments along the waist of the dress, they really made the white dress glow. They also matched her necklace, one that she had worn since she was young. Lulu smiled, and then looked through a small box on her bed. She pulled out a pair of pearl earrings, and a white laced veil, and handed them to Yuna.  
"How do they look?"  
"Oh, Lulu, they're great!"  
Yuna smiled widely, and then shied away. Lulu knew that look, Yuna had something to ask but was embarrassed.  
"Yuna, what is it?"  
"It's nothing, I just…Lulu, could you help me with my hair? I want it a certain way…"  
Lulu smiled and caught on. Yuna wanted her hair like before, on her pilgrimage. Back then, she was starting a new adventure, a new part of her life.  
This was the same thing. Almost.

Last time, Yuna had started her pilgrimage to pray at the temples and gather the Aeons, to rid the world of Sin, a monster that wanted to destroy the world.  
Yuna was the first Summoner to actually bring about Sin's total demise, but she had set out knowing that she would lose her life performing the Final Summoning. She set out with that resolve, before she met Tidus. Lulu knew Yuna loved Tidus, but she was sure if it meant saving Spira, Yuna would have set out again.

EXCEL

Yynx's wedding would start soon. Teal definitely didn't want to miss it, he and Yynx knew each other longer than their other friends, their bond was the oldest.  
Teal didn't have time to check up on Scarlett or Aureolin; he had woken them with a "faux monster attack" alert, and hoped for the best. Aureolin had changed a lot since the fire and losing his memory, he used to be obnoxious and thrill seeking, but he'd matured and was a bid more controlled now. He and Scarlett were together more often than before, Teal was sure they liked each other. He looked outside, it was starting to get light out!  
He saw the grand airship flying toward the town, it would dock just a quarter mile off and carry them to the Battalian aerodrome. Teal gave a shout,  
"Scarlett, Aureolin, you guys better be ready!"

He knew they were, there had been shuffling from downstairs and frustrated screams of a girl fighting her hair a while back, but that had ceased. Teal closed his window, and turned. He was happy. But why did he feel such a strange emptiness? Was it because Cyan was no longer there? No, he had come to term with that a long time ago.

His brother had been possessed by the Great Beast, by Argathi. He had taken Teal's uniform and burned the village to ashes (letting only a few people see, so as to frame Teal for the crime). Argathi had tricked the villagers into thinking it was Teal who burned the village. But Cyan had died, so the villagers thought Teal was dead. This was 'confirmed' when Teal took Cyan's uniform and name to avoid followers (after all, he didn't want any villagers or Guards getting in his way of avenging his brother). Teal went on as Cyan for a few months, but eventually Scarlett caught up with him and her cousin Yynx, as well as the rest of their friends. Teal was in a deep state of grief and denial (truly believing he was Cyan and trying to avenge the death of Teal, who had "died after setting the town ablaze"). Scarlett had knocked some sense into him, but his friends pushed him out of the group, feeling he should stay back and grieve. Teal stayed with Thy (who he met in a marsh) in a village of wolf people, who didn't judge him or care about his past. He thought he was happy again until Thy's uncle, Dens, returned with a lost traveler of his own. At the sight of Aureolin, a fellow Guard from Arms Island who had lost his memory, Teal's resolve returned. He came to terms with his brother's death, and traveled out again with Dens, Thy, Aureolin, and Kurenai (Den's old friend who lived in Skye) to find Scarlett and the others.

Then they saved the world. That's what helped Teal see that he had moved on, he had mustered up the strength even when things looked down, to move forward and take the final step in ridding the world of that wretched Beast, and clearing up the skies.

"Teal? We're ready! You coming?"  
Teal acknowledged Aureolin's call with a loud "uh-huh!" and swiftly exited his room.  
He was about to take his first Airship ride in two years!

SPIRA

Yuna smiled into the mirror. Her hair had turned out wonderful, she wanted to keep it this way… but she would do it only for today. Today, she was that girl who never lost Tidus. The one who was sure they would live together forever, happy.  
Her veil fit surprisingly well over the hair- it was short in the front but longer in the back, it covered her hair completely. When Tidus pulled it back he would be surprised, she could see his face now, confused and surprised but happy with it all the same.  
"Yuna, 'ya ready now?!" This came from Wakka, who had woken up not long ago and had actually put on a shirt, a nice blue one that matched the color of the sea with short sleeves.  
"Wakka, calm down. She'll be out in a minute." Lulu nodded to Yuna, then exited.  
"Okay Lu, but Tidus is getting kinda anxious, ya?"  
Yuna giggled at that- she was sure it was Wakka who was getting anxious. But as she placed the veil over her head Yuna began to feel a tad bit anxious as well. She wasn't scared of marrying Tidus, she just really hoped everyone would be there.

As she walked slowly out the doorway, all of her hopes were realized. Everyone was there, Wakka and Lulu, Wakka wearing his blue shirt with a nice pair of long black pants, Lulu dressed in a light yellow laced dress with white ribbons (Rikku's idea, Yuna liked it very much and Lulu wasn't going to say no to Yuna on her big day), her hair was up and her usual dark facade was completely gone. Rikku had a similar dress with light blue ribbons and white tattle-tails in her blonde hair, and was sitting next to Paine, who wore a nice red dress with some metal chains around her neck. Yuna smiled at this. Walking down the aisle, she noted Isaaru and Pacce, along with Maroda, all dressed nicely in vestments and such. Cid and Brother were even there! Kimahri and Garik were standing close to the front, wearing nice clean fur garments that made the already furry Ronsos look even more wooly. Kimahri being Yuna's oldest friend, would be their witness. No one could ever say Yuna and Tidus had never married, he was sworn to that truth. At the end of the aisle, Yuna saw him. He had a black shirt on, with a pair of suspenders and a little white bow tie. His belt and shoes were white as well, and he had an aroma on him that Yuna could smell as soon as she walked up to him. His hair was parted and tamed down, the first time Yuna had seen this.

Tidus looked at Yuna in awe. He couldn't take his eyes off her, her dress reminded him of her old kimono and she was wearing that necklace. When Tidus reached up to pull her veil over her hair, he saw what she wanted. The Yuna he had left, the Yuna he never wanted to leave. The two stared, eyes locked, and held their hands together in front of them. The representative from the New Marriage Committee of Spira pulled out a white lace, and began wrapping it around their hands.

EXCEL

Yynx looked incredibly beautiful in her white and pink gown, it was a long white dress with Pink Vine sewn along the hem and waist. It was her favorite plant, Pink Vine. Jett's too, he had it embroidered into his wrist cuffs. Yynx's hair was put up and her eyes were aglow, there was not one speck of doubt on her face as she walked the aisle. Teal smiled as he watched her come closer, he was standing in the front. He was going to be their witness, here in Excel as long as they had their witness none could say the two weren't wed. Teal looked around and saw Scarlett and Aureolin guarding the doors, Scar in her usual red and blue outfit and Aureolin in his sashes and cloths that he usually seems to just throw together and still look remarkable. Teal noted Thy and Lukahs sitting nearby, Thy in his normal robes with a few ceremonial sashes along his arms and legs, hair combed and tied on his left; Lukahs with Lola and Keyo, all dressed in frills and garments that reminded Teal that Lukahs had still had a large amount of money left. Briar and Blaine were sitting off to the right of the room, both dressed in chain-mail armor, Briar with light shoulder and hip guards and Blaine in his favorite silver and gold cuirass and pauldrons. The wedding area itself was a thing of beauty, the small shrine at the front housed the Wind Keeper, Uindo (who had been the one to tell Teal and his friends how to stop the beast). There were many bouquets with Pink Vine in vases around the place atop small marble pedestals, and a small white gate around the sitting area.

Yynx looked up to the front of the aisle, toward Teal. Smiling, she gave a small nod to him, he smiled back. Teal turned to face the front, noticing Jett's awkward smile as he awaited his bride to be. Yynx reached the front and smiled again, turning toward Jett as he faced her as well. He gave her cheek a soft brush with his hand, and they held their hands together in front of them. The high Monk began binding their hands with a long white ribbon, and then he spoke.  
"Under the light of a new dawn, the bonds that tie you shall forever hold. As the earth below you holds you, you must forever hold each other, and support one another."

SPIRA

"In this new era, Spira has found hope and happiness. So too, shall you and yours, in the name of Spira I bless thee and name thee husband and wife."  
It had been a short ceremony, but Yuna didn't care how long it took. She and Tidus were married now! A new life, with him.  
Tidus leaned in and pressed his lips to Yuna's, and a small tear emerged from her eye. This was the happiest moment of her life, just behind her was the sunrise, behind Tidus' head was the setting moon. They were in between, it felt almost as if they were standing in the center of the universe. Tidus held her hands gently, and she held back. The kiss lasted for what seemed like forever, with their friends laughing and cheering, clapping too! Tidus and Yuna slowly pulled away, and the man who had married them beckoned to Kimahri to sever the binding, the two would keep their half of the ribbon safe to signify their marriage. Tidus tied Yuna's around her right bicep, and she, too, tied his to his arm.

Suddenly, a cold breeze began to blow. Yuna was the first to notice the white spot on the top of the moon flicker and slide down the moon to its bottom, covering the whole thing, no longer white, now just a black outline and inside were… stars?. She stared at it in shock, with Tidus and Kimahri following her gaze. This wasn't right, the moon was _rising_! It was moving very slowly across the sky, perfectly in line with the sun. What was going on? At the rate it was traveling, it would block out the sun in no more than an hour. Yuna and Tidus looked back to one another, and ran back down the aisle, Kimahri and Garik following. Seeing this, Paine, Rikku stood quickly and followed, with Lulu and Wakka following after Wakka asked Cid to look after Vidna for him.

Back in Yuna's hut, she and Tidus had already changed back into their regular outfits. Kimahri and Garik had kept their attire under their fur clothes, Garik simply tore his off, while Kimahri carefully removed and folded each piece; there was no rush. Rikku and Paine arrived, followed by Wakka and Lulu, who were all puzzled and wanted to know what was going on. Yuna saw Wakka about to ask, and held her hand up.  
"The moon is different. I noticed it a few weeks ago, there was something there that I couldn't explain, but knew it didn't belong. Just now, the whole thing changed. Now it looks like the nighttime sky, and it's moving closer to where the sun is in the sky. I don't know what it is, but it seems something bad could happen when it causes an eclipse." Everyone was silent, and Yuna looked around. "I'm sorry, I should have brought it up." Tidus looked at Yuna in surprise.  
"What are you talking about? It's not your fault! We don't even know what's going to happen!" Rikku nodded in agreement.  
"Yeah, Yunie! Whatever happens, we'll face it together, so don't blame yourself!"  
Paine nodded and Kimahri gave a small grunt acknowledging this. Lulu grimaced, and shook her head.  
"Yuna, I'm sorry, but I have a child to look after. I can't fight with you." Wakka turned to Lulu, who walked outside.  
"Lulu, hold up! You don't mean that!" He walked outside after her. Rikku ran forward after them, but Yuna stopped her.  
"Rikku, no! They have to settle this alone!" Rikku stopped and nodded.  
"You're right…"

After a few moments of waiting, Wakka came back inside.  
"I'm going to fight, to help protect Spira for Vidna's future, ya? Lulu can take care of him until we get back, we'll both try our best!" Tidus walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder. Kimahri looked over to Garik, and motioned for him to go outside and talk. Nobody dared spy on the Ronsos, but after a few moments Kimahri returned.  
"Hey big guy, where'd Garik go?" Rikku was the first to ask.  
"Ronso need elder, but Kimahri protect Yuna. Kimahri protect everyone. Garik protect Ronso." Kimahri said this with a low growl, as if he thought he might regret it. Reassuring himself, he gave Yuna a look of content. She smiled back, glad to have her oldest friend there. Paine and Rikku went off to change, and the group headed out to see Cid, who was no longer holding Vidna.  
Yuna and Rikku stood in front of him, smiling.  
"Uncle Cid, would it be okay for us to borrow an airship?" Rikku nodded.  
"We'll take great care of it, we promise!" Cid looked at the two with what looked like shock and discomfort.  
"I don't think so, I wouldn't want my two favorite girls crashing, that'd be bad."  
Paine quickly moved over and reassured the old Al-Bhed.  
"I'll fly." At this Cid seemed relaxed. He'd seen Paine fly (Brother had taught her), she was a great pilot.  
"Okay, I'll let you borrow one. But only because it's my little niece's wedding! Congrats by the way."  
Yuna and Rikku cheered at this, and Paine smiled and walked off toward the airship.

Wakka followed, and Kimahri and Rikku trailed right behind.  
"Tidus, come over here. I gotta say something." Yuna smiled and headed off, letting the two talk in private. Tidus walked over to Cid, wanting to hurry off with Yuna.  
"What's up?" Cid placed a hand on his shoulder.  
"I never thanked you. You kept your promise." Tidus was puzzled.  
"Huh?" Cid laughed at this. Tidus had forgotten the promise he'd made to the old man just after the Guado had destroyed Home.

"You promised…that Yuna wouldn't die. That you'd find a way to save Spira without letting her die. You kept that promise, and I thank you. Nobody is more deserving of her than you are. Welcome to the family, kid." He opened his arms for a hug.  
Tidus smiled at this, and accepted the hug gladly. He backed away, gave a quick wave and turned to run off.  
"It's great…to have a family again. I'm honored!" He shouted this as he ran to catch up with Yuna. The world wouldn't save itself!

EXCEL

It was a nice ceremony, albeit rather long. Teal was beginning to get tired of standing through the excess. There was one thing left to do, he had to cut the ribbon around Yynx and Jett's arms, and both would keep their half as a sign of their union.  
Teal was motioned over to the two, and in one quick cut with his dagger, he split the ribbon. Teal stepped back, and Jett pulled Yynx into a soft kiss. Everyone, including Teal, was clapping. Teal looked over to the horizon, and saw the moon. That weird glint at the top was getting to him. And why had the moon not gone down yet? He saw the white part shift (this caught him off guard so he let out an odd surprised noise) and then grow to cover the whole moon.

"What's going on with the moon?" Thy had shouted after seeing Teal's reaction and looking for himself. Everyone, even Jett and Yynx turned to look an the moon which looked as if it were becoming darker. It now had only a black outline, and inside that outline there was a clear image of stars in the night sky. But that wasn't all- Teal had only just noticed it. The moon was rising!

The people in the wedding area were in a panic. Had Teal been wrong to ignore his brother's warning? Had he taken it with too much levity and not thought the whole thing through enough? Teal had plenty of time for that later. Grabbing his Tri-Bo out, he prepared himself for what was surely heading his way- a whole new adventure, another opportunity to save excel from something big. He wasn't so sure _how _he was going to fight the moon, or even if that was his enemy. One thing Teal was certain of was that something big was coming to Excel.

He was ready for it.

-

If you enjoyed it, leave a review please! I don't wanna keep writing if nobody's reading -e-  
Next chapter is up!


	3. Chapter 2: The Crossing

UNTOLD FANTASY

CHAPTER 2: THE CROSSING

Again, the characters from Excel are on my DeviantArt. My username is RiukiArt, hope you enjoy!

SPIRA

Once again, Yuna found herself on board the Celsius. Tidus looked around as everyone else waited in several different areas; Paine was piloting, with Yuna and Rikku co-piloting. Wakka was tossing his blitzball up in the air and catching it leaning on a wall near , and Kimahri was standing in the back of the room near the door.  
Tidus walked over to Yuna, and laughed.  
"What's so funny?" Yuna asked this through a giggle.  
"You're a pilot. We can go to Zanarkand anytime now."  
"Hehe! Yeah, whenever Paine decides to teach me the big controls."  
Paine snorted and returned her attention to lifting off. She braced herself, and started the engine.  
"Hey, Yunie, reminds ya of the good ol' days, huh?" Yuna smiled at this.  
"Give me a Y," she started.  
"Give me an R!" Rikku happily played along.  
"Give me a break," Paine laughed to herself, and started takeoff.

After a few moments, the Celsius had lifted to the sky and was heading in the direction of the moon. Tidus, who had just been pacing, walked over to Yuna.  
"What are we going to do?" Tidus asked with a spark of hysteria.  
"We've got to get close to the moon, to see what's up with the star stuff inside!"  
Rikku declared this fearlessly, with Yuna nodding, agreeing wholeheartedly.  
"I dunno… this seems pretty reckless."  
"Tidus, relax. Things will turn out good, I promise." Yuna's voice was determined. She shifted her mind to navigating, although the group could all see where they were headed.

Wakka dropped his ball. With the airship tilting ever so slightly upward at its bow, the blitzball bounced, then rolled back toward Kimahri, who Wakka expected would just let it pass by. Oddly enough, Kimahri stopped the ball under his foot, and flicked it back. Wakka let out an appreciative chuckle and kicked the ball back up to his hands.

Yuna could feel the tension in the room. None of them knew what would happen, yet they all felt the need to head forward. Yuna felt drawn to the moon, as if it were calling to her. She was unsure, but it seemed the others felt the same way. It wouldn't be long now, they were close. She was sure of it. As the Celsius flew onward, every thought in Yuna's mind began to fade, all she could think about was how beautiful this strange moon was, and that she and Tidus were seeing it together.  
Her attention snapped back to reality when she felt the ship being jerked in an upward direction. The moon was pulling the Celsius in with it!?

"What's goin' on? Shouldn't WE be in control here?" The confusion in Rikku's voice was without reservation. Paine tried her best to maintain control of the airship's altitude, but to no avail; they were rising, faster and faster with each passing second. Tidus fell to his knees, the pressure of the moon's pull too much for him. Wakka fell against the wall behind him, but was holding himself up on quivering legs. Kimahri made his way over to Tidus easily, the force not yet strong enough to affect his powerful legs. He helped the toppled young man to his knees, and knelt, gripping the nearest rail he could find. Rikku was screaming now, Paine had given up and was now over near Rikku holding her in her seat.

Yuna gripped her armrests tight, and for the first time in what seemed an eternity, closed her eyes and prayed.

EXCEL

Teal and Thy had already ran halfway to the Airship. Yynx and Jett had rushed out of their own ceremony, followed by Lukahs, Aureolin, Scarlett, Briar, Blaine and Kunori- Teal hadn't noticed the young ninja at the wedding, perhaps he was getting better? At the Battalian Aerodrome, Teal turned to the group.

"Any ideas or plans?" His inquiry was met with blank expressions. Did they expect him to be the leader again? He sighed and rubbed a finger against his temple.  
"We thought you and Thy had one, to be honest…" Briar started.

"…we just thought we'd tag along and help out." Blaine finished.

"Okay," Teal thought for a moment. He suddenly remembered seeing a statue of Uindo at the ceremony. That sprouted an idea. "Let's go to see Uindo! Maybe we'll get some answers!"

"I don't think there's time for that, what if something comes through that hole and attacks the villages?" Thy was shaken up at the thought of losing more friends.  
Teal thought a little more.

"Okay, five of you and myself will go see Uindo. The other four will take Airships to the major cities and organize the Guards, tell them to prepare for anything. Yynx or Jett, one of you should stay here, the other come with us. Same with you, Briar, Blaine. Me and Thy, along with Aureolin, Kunori and two of you four. Lukahs, you should take Lola and Keyo home, and raise the Guard there. Scarlett, I'm trusting Arms Island to you."

Briar stepped forward "I'll go with you. Blaine's a Knight-Errant now, he has trust from both of our leaders." Blaine nodded, and turned to find a Pilot.  
Jett nonchalantly nudged Yynx forward.  
"Yynx, you're with me? Great. Let's get going!" Teal turned and ran onto the Airship, the others not far behind. Jett pulled Yynx into a tight hug.  
"Jett, why'd you volunteer me? Don't you want to go?"  
"I do, but you'd do just as well as me in any situation, if not better. Plus I didn't think it'd be wise to argue with a woman on her wedding day."

Yynx chuckled and turned to face the Airship.  
"My dress…is so going to get ruined." She began walking toward the ship, but felt her arm gripped by a strong hand. Jett pulled her into his arms, and whispered past her platinum hair into her ear.  
"I love you." Yynx kissed him on his cheek, and slowly pulled away from his embrace. She took one last good look at him, and turned to join Teal and the others on the Airship.

"We ready for liftoff?" Teal asked the Pilot, a short man with a stout figure.  
"She's all ready fer take off. Yer not plannin on flyin into that thar moon?"  
Teal shook his head.  
"Could you fly is to Uindo's Shrine?" The Pilot nodded and began to fly.  
Teal paced the deck of the Airship, planning his questions carefully. Uindo was cryptic, but if asked the right questions would sometimes respond straightforward. Yynx walked up to him and sighed.  
"You don't have your sword, do you Yynx?" She shook her head to this. "I'm sure we can find one lying around here. I'll go look for some for you and Aureolin. Hey, Thy?" The young wolf-kin's ears perked as he looked in Teal's direction.  
"Yes?"  
"Think you could go track down some daggers for you and Kuno?" Thy nodded and scurried off.

Yynx walked into the cabin to look for some clothes to change into, while Teal and Aureolin searched the ship for swords of some sort.  
"I can't believe you brought your Tri-Bo to a wedding, Teal," Aureolin joked.  
Teal chuckled. He never went anywhere without it. It was one thing he knew he had to keep at all times, he had been caught without it one time too many, and it had almost cost him his life. Of course, had that not happened, he likely would have never learned of his ability to summon. The two were now in the crewmen's cabin.  
"Hey, at least I came prepared. Ah! Here's one! Yynx'll like this one for sure!" It was a 4 foot long one-handed sword, with a silver hilt and a flat, curved blade. Perfect for her back-handed strikes. At the same time, Aureolin picked up a similar one-handed blade, however it had a straight blade. He made three quick forward thrusts, and holstered is on a sash tied around his waist.  
"You don't think the crewmen would mind us taking these do you?" Teal asked this haphazardly, with a sneaky tone in his voice. Aureolin giggled.  
"It's only borrowing, right? Besides, it's for a good cause." The two left the room, now cluttered and disheveled, and walked back to the deck.

"Here, Yynx." Teal handed her the sword as he saw her staring off the side of the Airship. She clutched the hilt tightly, and nodded. She had changed into a pair of denim shorts, and was wearing a tight red V-neck that revealed her waist with a black vest covering most of the parts the other clothes had 'forgotten'.  
"Thanks." Teal noticed she was deep in thought, so he let her be. Thy came bursting through the door on the opposite end of the deck.  
"Teal, I found some! I got a cutting knife and found some throwing knives!"  
The wolf-kin scrambled over to Teal swiftly, taking care not to drop the sack he was holding. He stopped a few feet from Yynx, and put on a wide smile.  
"Did I do a good job? He handed the bag to Teal, who studied the contents briefly, then walked over and stroked Thy behind the ears.  
"You sure did! I'm proud of you!" Yynx smirked at this. Thy was like Teal's own dog.  
Thy had been very loyal to Teal, through many things over the past few years. Even did his best to sniff out Aureolin when he had gone missing, and lugged him to Luporem at Teal's behest. Yynx turned to face Thy, who had picked up the dagger in his hand and begun to wave it around like a maestro. Little sparks popped and danced in the air for him.  
"Not good, no, no, no! Must rehearse!" The kid hurriedly went to a corner of the Airship to practice making music magic just as Briar walked up to Teal.  
"Where have you been?" Teal asked with a hint of humor in his voice. Briar chuckled.  
"I went off to sharpen my blade, if you'll believe it." Teal looked him over suspiciously, then waved it off, laughing.

Teal looked off the side of the Airship, and smiled widely. There it was, Uindo's Shrine. They'd be there in just a few moments. Kunori, who had been standing atop the tallest mast, had now dropped down to the main deck. Teal looked back at him, and tossed the sack of throwing knives toward him. Kunori swiftly reached out and clutched the bag.  
"Thanks." Teal nodded, then returned his gaze to the large silvery shrine. It had changed quite a bit in the past few years. Gone was the aura of darkness that fogged the crystal dome-shaped roof, its entrance was a complete marble doorway, large enough for the Airship to fly through were the pilot so daring. There were no broken columns, no dirty tiles covering the floor. It was apparent the new Shrine Keeper was taking great care of Uindo's home. Teal felt the ship lowering toward the surface of the nearby lake; when there was no Aerodrome to land in most Pilots would land a small ways from the landing area and sail to the port. This wasn't as long a process as expected, as Teal and the others shortly found their feet on solid ground. Teal approached the Pilot.  
"Could you wait here for us? We'll try to be quick." The short man snorted and nodded, and then walked back onto the ship.

Yynx and Aureolin walked ahead toward the large doorway, with Thy humming and trailing along behind. Briar and Kunori walked on as well, with Teal bringing up the rear. The six climbed the staircase to the shrine swiftly, Teal and Kunori eventually ending up ahead of the others as Briar and Yynx had to stop to rest a few times, while Thy and Aureolin seemed to be walking at an equally steady pace.

Teal climbed the last of the steps, feeling a cold wind blow through his medium-length blonde hair. He moved over toward the doorway, and waited for his friends to climb to the top before entering the shrine. There was a change in lighting as the bright sunlight turned to a soft, calm blue-green light illuminating the entire inside of the shrine. Just a few dozen meters away from Teal was the Great Wind Crystal, the embodiment of the Wind Deity, Uindo. Teal ran toward the Crystal hurriedly, remembering that there could be trouble from the Moon.

Stopping just short of the Crystal Altar, he realized the others had stayed back a small ways. Teal remembered he was only able to get close due to his ability to summon. Turning back to face the Crystal, he reached a hand out and touched it softly.  
"Uindo, please show yourself. We are in need of answers." He waited a few seconds, then removed his hand. Instantly the Crystal shone bright, Teal had to turn away to protect his eyes from its light. He took a step back but his legs shook, and he stumbled backwards, not realizing he was now standing a few feet higher than he had been. The altar had risen up and Teal had just fallen off.

Teal felt things slow down, he turned his head to face the crystal and watched the saintly blue-green glow spread out to catch him from underneath. The glow shaped into arms, which became much more defined, long limbs stretched out under Teal, covered in light turquoise fur. Time seemed to shift back to normal, and Teal gazed up in awe at the kind being.  
"Uindo! Thanks!" At this, the deity's light, pale face- almost elven- closed its eyes and nodded, smiling.  
"My apologies, Teal. I did not mean to cause your misbalance. " Uindo, the Wind Deity, had just taken form. Almost, actually, as only its head and lengthy arms had phased through the crystal.

It lowered its arms to the ground, and Teal lowered his feet to the ground and stood upright. Backing away a bit, the being's long arms and fingers shook in the chilly air. Its silvery hair hung low past Teal's shoulders. Teal waved politely.  
"How are you, Uindo?"  
"Cold." Teal chuckled at this; Uindo had every opportunity to make the air warmer, yet its attention was fixed on the young man who had saved this world two years before.  
"So why not make it warmer?"  
"Seeing my favorite summoner is worth a small bit of discomfort."  
"How nice of you!" Teal smiled. Uindo was always chatty like this with him, it sort of took his mind off of what he had come for. Shaking his head quickly, he put on a more serious expression.  
"Uindo, there's something odd about the moon."  
"It's an empty moon." Empty? That was odd, Teal knew of full moons, but an 'empty' moon? Teal looked to his friends and shrugged.  
"Empty? What do you mean"  
"Empty is the opposite of full, Teal." The deity was being wise again.  
"Uindo, please. If you can tell me anything at all…"  
"I enjoy Aldgoat meat." Uindo smirked.  
"Uindo!" Teal barked.  
"You asked me to tell you anything, Teal."  
"About what's going on with the moon!" Teal was frantic, he and Uindo would banter back and forth for a days at this rate.  
"No need to get testy, Teal."  
"Okay, okay. Uindo, we really need your aid here. I'd appreciate it, please?" Teal looked up at the great being, longing for any information possible.  
"Teal, you needn't worry about the moon, that's the help I've asked for." Teal's jaw dropped and his eyes rolled in bewilderment.  
"Help?"  
"Yes, Teal."  
"For what?!" Teal looked up, he was starting to become cross with Uindo.  
"Things." Uindo chuckled.  
"What kind of 'things'?!"  
"Bad things." Uindo pushed his 's' almost into a whistle.  
"Like?"  
"Stuff."

"Don't start, you!" Teal shook his fist at Uindo, who smiled warmly and pulled more of itself out of its great crystal, revealing a very lanky body with no legs, just what looked like a trail of its glow.  
"Teal, forgive me. I enjoy your passion, your emotions. No other summoner of the past has ever talked with me as you do, I apologize. The moon is linked to a different world. A far away world, not of this universe. It's connected to a moon there. There are terrible things coming to Excel, we need the help from that world." Teal looked up at Uindo, concentrating on the deity's words. He thought for a moment.  
"Terrible, like Argathi?"  
"Yes." Uindo's tone sent chills down Teal's spine, this was worsened by the cool air.  
"Uindo, who's coming to help?" Uindo looked away at this, shamefully.  
"I do not know. That world is distant, but it has been saved from destruction and death a few times." Uindo worded this slowly, almost hopeful.  
"You're hoping for whoever saved it to come through? That's quite a long shot, don't you think?!" Teal was furious, but he calmed himself. "Uindo, how sure are you that good people will come though?"  
"They won't let anyone else through. They've promised." Uindo seemed adamant in its statement.  
"Who are 'they'?" Uindo smiled at this.

"They are like me. They, too, sleep. Awaiting the time they are needed again. Now they are, so now they awaken. To send the ones who will help you save Excel. Teal, you can not do it alone this time. Trust in your friends and new allies, build their trust in you. Those bonds…you will need them. Good luck, friend. Trust in the faith."  
The Wind Deity began to sink back into its crystal.  
"The faith? Trust in whose faith? Uindo, c'mon!" Teal's begging was to no avail, the being had already gone. Teal sighed, and turned to head back toward his friends. He had a thoughtful, concentrating air about him, which Thy picked up on right away.

"What's wrong Teal? Are we all going to die now?" Thy asked this without a hint of worry in his voice, as if he had already come to terms with dying.  
"No, Thy. We aren't going to die. Uindo says…" Teal couldn't finish. It all seemed too strange to him, how could Uindo know something was amiss in Excel? How could Teal have missed anything?  
"What did Uindo say, Teal?" Yynx stepped in front of him and put her hand on his shoulder.  
"The moon…people are coming through. Heroes. To help us fight off the real threat." Teal's voice wavered a bit, but he shook it off.  
"The real threat?! What would that be?!" Kunori asked this without patience.  
"Uindo didn't say. We have to wait, and when they get here…we have to help them.  
They saved their world, like we did. We can trust them. We have to, or we'll lose everything." As he recited what Uindo had told him, Teal looked away from his friends in sorrow. This was it. Everything he had done the past few years, it'd all lead up to this. He and his friends, and the people coming through the moon- they had to save Excel.

IN BETWEEN

Yuna couldn't see. Had she gone blind? No, it was dark, she was…floating?  
The last thing she remembered was helping to fly the airship, then a heavy pull. Now where was she? Something hit her shoulder, it was soft and fuzzy. She grabbed onto it, it was warm, too. Kimahri's hand? No, wait…Yuna felt an anklebone. Kimahri was floating right next to her. Maybe Tidus wasn't too far away? The two had been near each other before, right? Yuna pulled on Kimahri's leg, unsure of whether this had caused her to move upward (was it really upward?) or Kimahri to move toward her, but soon she felt the broken horn on his forehead, and gripped his shoulders, trying to shake him awake. She succeeded, and had his sense of smell not been as advanced as it was he surely would have attacked her for lack of knowledge of whom was shaking him. Yuna tried to say something but as she spoke, nothing came out of her mouth. Kimahri grabbed Yuna's waist and swung her forward, almost pushing her. Yuna was shocked at this, but after she bumped into something else floating nearby she realized why Kimahri had done so. Gripping the mass she had hit, Yuna felt a metal chain and then short hair. Kimahri had pushed Yuna to Tidus, maybe he sensed that she wanted to find him?

Yuna held on tightly to her husband. If she was dead, maybe they were all going to the Farplane together? Yuna had performed Sendings many times but never knew going could be so…dark.

Suddenly a bright flash of light sparked up above Yuna's head, and looking around, she could see everything. Pain, Rikku, Kimahri, Wakka were all together. The airship was still in one piece and right behind Tidus, who was just waking up. She sort of envied him for not having to experience that darkness, knowing she wouldn't forget it soon. He smiled, clearly happy to see her. Tidus tried to say hello, but he, too, was muted. Nothing seemed to make any sense to him at all, but as he held on to Yuna's waist she could see he wasn't scared. He was actually smiling! He kicked off of the airship and the two moved slowly toward the group.

Rikku was clinging to Wakka, who was holding Paine (who was still unconscious) by the arm. Kimahri seemed to be able to swim through this place just fine, though Yuna was sure they weren't underwater. It felt no different than being out in the fresh air. Looking toward the light, she finally realized what had just happened, why they were lingering here, and what the light had come from. Yuna and the others had gotten close to the moon-thing's pull and were sucked in. Tidus and Wakka had gone to the deck of the airship to chase after some creature they had seen, and had lost their balance and fell off the ship, leading the others to chase after them. Eventually the creature had knocked them all off the ship one by one, and Yuna remembered the hole they had come through close. That's when everything went dark, Yuna was so tired she had fallen asleep (from the difference in air pressure maybe? She always felt drowsy when she went to Gagazet, maybe being outside the ship this high up knocked her out? Whatever caused them to fall off the airship was clearly gone, and now there was a hole on the opposite end of this…large expansive place. Maybe it was trying to lead them through it? Should she take that risk? As if she had any choice, there was no way back now.

Yuna pointed to the hole, and motioned for the group to swim that way. Wakka detested by shaking his head swiftly, but Kimahri pushed him forcibly and swam after him. Yuna and Tidus swam forward as well, preparing for whatever strange new journey was ahead of them. As the six moved toward the bright light (and Paine awoke, finally) Yuna felt as if she were being pulled toward it, the same way the airship had been pulled into this strange place. It hadn't crossed her mind that she would be coming out of another moon into another world, and her hope turned to dread as she and the others saw what awaited them on the other side.

The same height she and her friends had traversed to get to the moon in the Celsius- they were now about to fall that same distance, airship-less.

EXCEL

Yynx had forced him back onto the Airship, and now they were waiting there. Waiting for these 'heroes' to come through. Teal wondered what kind of people they'd be. If they'd even be human at all, maybe halflings like Thy. Gazing up at the bright round moon, Teal started to hum to himself, without regard to anything else. Yynx and Aureolin stood nearby, listening and pacing together, chatting bout what they expected. Kunori, Thy and Briar stood on the opposite side of the deck, each fixated on separate things; Kunori on the moon, Thy on his magic and Briar on…Teal?

Teal tilted his head, and nodded at Briar, as if to show he knew what Briar was thinking. Briar closed his eyes, and turned his head. He had been thinking of how Teal and Uindo could communicate, how Teal was able to get close to Uindo and the other Deities in the first place. He was a Summoner, he had the ability to call upon Ferals, or Beasts. Teal hadn't used this power in almost two years, but he hadn't even faltered in Uindo's presence (well, except for stumbling backwards, of course). Briar had always been interested in Teal's abilities, but now he was wondering how Teal could remain so intact with them after abandoning what he once cherished.  
"I don't need them yet, Briar. My Ferals, I mean." Briar smiled and walked up to Teal.  
"I understand the world was peaceful, but you could have trained with them, at least. It makes me feel inferior, that you could wield such power without practice after such a long time." Yynx gazed over and laughed.  
"Briar, feeling inferior? That's new. Teal, why don't you summon now? Get in some practice." Yynx pointed up to the moon. "They could appear at any moment."

Teal nodded and moved to the middle of the deck. He raised his Tri-Bo, and began to summon. Spinning the staff in his hands, he swung it low while spinning and then slammed it into the wooden floor. A spark let out, and a runic circle (with a symbol of a bell) appeared around Teal. He raised his arm high and Fenrir appeared through the floor, looking up to Teal's eyes as he rose. He curled around Teal's legs and then steadied his position next to his master (though Teal preferred the term "partner" for his Ferals) and howled.

Teal knelt down and stroked the wolf's ears.  
"How are you, old friend?" After Fenrir licked his cheek, Teal stood back up and pointed toward the moon. "Guard it, if anything comes through, howl. Okay partner?" Fenrir nodded and soared through the air to the top of the Airship's mast, into the crow's nest.  
"Okay, what should we do now?" Yynx asked. Teal smiled.  
"I wonder what these heroes are like. Uindo says they've saved their world before, just like us. Do you think they're military types? Or Guards like us?" Kunori laughed and strode over to Teal.  
"If they're from a different world, it's highly unlikely they had Guards like us. I'm sure their threat and ours were entirely distinct from one another."  
Teal shrugged at this. It made sense, but Kuno didn't have to goad him.  
"Guys, we should move away, what if they fly through on an Airship? Uindo said it's their moon, too. I can't think of any other way they'd get there." Suddenly Fenrir howled morbidly, and Teal and the others looked upward at the moon. It flashed twice, and several small shapes were just barely visible among the sky, falling through the atmosphere toward them.

"That's them!" Thy shouted this in an excited state, and he began casting a gravity spell to protect them from harm. Kunori and Briar moved barrels and ropes away from the center of the sundeck, and Yynx and Aureolin cleared an area for Teal to perform a much larger summoning. Teal lifted his Tri-Bo and spun it in one hand.  
"Fenrir, return to your slumber." Upon saying this, Fenrir let out a wild howl, and spun around in a circle, as if he were chasing his tail. He vanished, and Teal split his Tri-Bo into three parts. He threw the middle one up into the air and whispered, "Bahamut, lend me your wings." A light rune with Teal's symbolic bell appeared on his back, and metallic wings sprouted from where the rune had been, just on his shoulder blades. He began to spin the remaining two parts of his staff in either hand while floating off the deck. Teal then called out, "Valefor of the wind, Orion of the stars, Astra of the heavens, I call upon thee. Aid me in my task to safely guide those heroes to us."

Teal looked up, and saw three glowing masses appear out of thin air, with his three partners blooming from these. Valefor flew in a circle around Teal, and shot upwards into the sky, Orion and Astra both glided toward the falling heroes, and joined hands to make a net of magic between their arms. They spread apart as they rose, and in turn doing so spread the net wider and wider. Valefor was blowing each of the heroes together by flying nearby and sending wisps of air toward them, so eventually the six small figures were close to each other. Astra and Orion flew up, and although the net was wide, it only managed to catch four of them. Teal began to beat his wings, and rose up to catch the two that missed the net. As he got closer he could make out a few details about these two. They were holding on to each other, a boy and a girl, looking around for their friends. They were young, like Teal. The boy had sandy blonde hair, it was medium length and lighter than his skin. He was tan, like Jett. His outfit was mostly yellow and black, a complete contrast to the girl, a pale girl with brown hair, waving in the wind as she fell, wearing a white shirt and shorts with a blue sash that reminded Teal of the ocean. Teal soared toward them and called for Valefor to come and save one. Valefor swooped in and caught the boy, but the girl had slipped the boy's grip and fell. Teal tucked in his wings and dove after the girl.

The wind beating on his face and the cold air were almost enough to make Teal not want to fly ever again, but he pressed onward, and after a few seconds of falling, reached his hand out for her.  
"I'm here, hold on!" She looked up and reached out, their hands slowly coming closer. She stretched her arm out more, and their hands finally met. Teal pulled her close and spread his wings, beating them twice, and flew back over to the Airship.  
"Thank you, I thought I was done for." Her voice sounded soft, gentle and serene.  
Teal chuckled.  
"Don't mention it, we've been waiting for you, hero!" The girl gasped at this.  
"Waiting? Hero? Does this mean we died…we're in the afterlife?"  
Teal ceased flying and hovered, looking at her.  
"Died? What? No, you're in Excel. You were brought here to help us save our world. Didn't you know?" The girl shook her head. She looked back up at him, and he noticed her eyes- they had the same colors as his own, one green and one blue. His eyes widened at this, and she noticed his eyes as well.  
"Al-Bhed? Here? Are you sure this isn't Spira?" She seemed confused. Teal looked down to the Airship and saw Valefor putting the boy down.  
"This is Excel. I'm a summoner, aren't you? That's why we have the same eyes. My name's Teal. What's yours?" She looked down and saw Valefor, and recognized Bahamut's wings on Teal's back.

She turned back to him and smiled. Her smile… it reminded Teal of his mother's. It made him miss her, but he shook it off.  
"I'm Yuna." Teal and Yuna were landing on the sundeck now, and Astra and Orion were setting the four others down as well; a tall, built, red haired man who gave off a laidback aura, and a youthful thin girl with long blonde hair braided in some parts were sporting yellow garments, the man's were more… revealing than the girl's. Beside the girl was another woman, very pale with dark clothes, very…dead, was it? Teal remembered the term from a kid he'd passed remarking on a boy who was dressed in all black with loads of piercings. This girl didn't really have many, but her clothes seemed to represent the underworld, her belt had a 'skull and crossbones' buckle! Her hair was short and platinum like Yynx's. Lastly, there was…not a human at all, a large blue beast. Fur and muscle covered his whole body, blue everywhere except his beard and chest area, as well as his head, where he had actual _hair_! He had two armlets, as well as two large metal rings on his shoulders holding the leather belts that supported his attire, a sort of makeshift outfit of cloths that covered his waist area, held in place by a thick red rope tied around his waist. Teal immediately noticed his spear, a long metal rod with a spearhead that had two crescent shaped blades on either side, which he held in one hand (practically with two fingers). Clearly he was raised to hunt and fight, he almost made Teal feel uneasy.

Yuna went hurriedly to the boy Valefor had caught, and called out for him.  
"Tidus!" The young man stirred his head, then stood up just as Yuna reached him and threw herself into his embrace. He smiled.  
"Were you hurt?" Yuna's eyes closed as she shook her head and pulled in close.  
"No, I wasn't. I just didn't want us to be separated. But Teal caught me." Tidus looked over in Teal's direction.  
"You're Teal, huh? I'm Tidus, Yuna's husband."  
"Married for two hours and he finally refers to himself as the husband," the red haired man spoke mockingly. Tidus laughed. Yynx smiled at this, having just been wedded herself.  
"That's Wakka. He's not too bright," Tidus retorted. The cheerful blonde girl smiled and waved.  
"Hi! I'm Rikku! I'm an Al Bhed, I hope you don't hate us here!" Teal laughed at that.  
"I don't know if I've ever heard of Al Bhed before today." Rikku went behind the girl in black and nudged her forward. The woman waved her off and stood up straight.  
"I'm Paine." Teal nodded. He was scared of her. But he felt something staring him down, and turned to face the tall beast. Now that he could see him closely, this man resembled a lion. A big, blue lion, that had a human shape aside from his hands and feet. He had a broken horn, and what seemed like wings on his back. Teal moved over to him.

"What's your name? I've never seen anyone like you before." The large creature let out a small growl, and looked Teal in the eyes. Teal felt overpowered by the large golden eyes, and after blinking, turned away.  
"He's a Ronso, his name is Kimahri. Don't take his silence personally," Rikku beamed as she said this. Teal noted that in his head. Yynx stepped forward and introduced herself.  
"I'm Yynx. I just got married today, too!" Yynx smiled as Yuna and Rikku clapped for her.  
"That's gotta be more than coincidence," Yuna stated. Briar bowed.  
"My name is Briar, pleased to meet you." Paine snorted at how formal he was, but Briar didn't seem to mind. Thy and Kunori moved in to introduce themselves next.  
"Heya, I'm Thy!" Thy's smile was wider than ever, he loved meeting new people. He really beamed when he saw Kimahri's tail. "Wow! You have a tail, too! I thought only Wolfkin like me had them! And you're REALLY furry! I hope when I grow up I can be as furry as you, Mr. Kimahri!" He began to banter on, and Kimahri let out a small growl, then silenced himself. Teal pulled Thy away, laughing in embarrassment.  
"Hello, I'm Kunori. Call me Kuno." Tidus waved to him, and Kuno waved back.  
"I guess," a voice called out from above, "that just leaves me!" Teal rubbed his temples. He had been wondering where Aureolin had crept off to.  
"The mighty Aureolin, master swordsman, makes his grand entrance!" Teal looked up and saw Aureolin jumping down from the mizzenmast. "I bet you're all wondering why I kept you waiting?" Aureolin was speaking in a grand voice.  
"Not really." Yynx and Paine both muttered this, and Aureolin tripped after hearing.  
"Wha…why not? Damn it, guys, my entrance is ruined!" There was laughter from all around.

"So what do we do now?" Tidus asked Teal, who could hear a hint of sadness in his voice. Teal thought for a moment.  
"Maybe we should go see Uindo again." Tidus tilted his head sideways.  
"Huh?"  
"Oh, right. You don't know Uindo. Uindo's a Deity, a guardian of the crystals. The Wind crystal, specifically. We're gonna go to the Wind Shrine and ask for advice on where to go from here." Tidus and his friends were quiet, then Yuna stepped forward.  
"Why are we here, Teal? You said something earlier, that I was supposed to know, or something." Teal thought for a moment, then cleared his throat.  
"Uindo said something along the lines of 'there are others' in your world 'like us', meaning the Deities, and that I had to believe in someone's faith or something like that. I-"  
"You mean _The_ Fayth?" Yuna cut him off.  
"Yeah, trust in the faith. I wasn't told whose faith I have to trust in."  
"No," Yuna chuckled. "THE Fayth. They're born from people who give their souls…never mind, I'll explain later. Let's go see this Deity."

Teal nodded, and sent Thy to ask the captain to head back to the shrine. Teal stood in front of the group looking ahead. The day was still new, and just ahead a new adventure waited to unfold.

Hope you enjoyed! If you did, please leave a review!  
Chapter 3 is up!


	4. Chapter 3: The First Trial

UNTOLD FANTASY

CHAPTER 3: THE FIRST TRIAL

Teal was sure seeing Uindo was the right thing to do. He and the others had finally met the heroes from Spira, and set course to the Wind Shrine almost immediately. The two groups were mingling, with the exception of Teal who was standing at the front of the Airship, and Kimahri who was standing behind everyone silently. His eyes gazed upon the young blonde man in the odd clothes, Teal. He dressed as if it were cold. A green coat that only covered his right arm and shoulder, a sleeveless sweater like the one Rikku used to wear but grey, a sash around his waist, probably a pelt of some animal he had his Aeons kill for him. Kimahri didn't like him. He couldn't understand why, the boy seemed nice enough, he had even saved Yuna. Maybe he was just judging prematurely, but Kimahri didn't want to trust anyone in this world he didn't need to.

"Kimahri, are you okay?" Yuna sounded concerned. The Ronso nodded, and looked at Yuna.  
"What Yuna think of Teal?" Kimahri asked this quietly. Well, as quiet as the Ronso could manage without just letting out a bunch of growls.  
"I think he's nice. He saved us, Kimahri. Although, I guess they _were_ expecting us. I'm sure he's a good person. He seemed intrigued by you, maybe there aren't Ronsos here? If there are, it didn't seem like he has ever seen one." Yuna chuckled. Kimahri seemed uneasy about being here. Yuna walked up to the Ronso and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Kimahri. I know we can trust them."  
Kimahri let out a breath, turned, and walked off to the lower deck. Nobody seemed to notice him slip away, except Yuna.

"We're here!" Teal shouted this so everyone would hear it. Yuna ran up to the front, and looked down to the Shrine. She wondered if they'd fly inside! The entrance was definitely large enough to. The wind blew through Yuna's hair, and she held a hand up to hold it in place.  
"Teal, are we flying inside?" Teal shook his head and laughed.  
"No, that'd be rude. We're going to land at that dock down there and walk up the steps to it." Yuna nodded, she was about to take her first footsteps on an entirely new world surface.  
Yynx and Paine were conversing about how they hold their blades similarly. Thy was showing Rikku his musical magic while Kunori stood nearby, and Tidus, Wakka, Aureolin, and Briar were chatting in a group. Teal led Yuna to the area where they would be exiting the Airship, and the rest of the group followed. As the ship touched ground, Teal hit the ramp release, and everyone walked down do the grass.  
"What now?" Tidus looked at Teal for an answer. Teal laughed, and pointed to the two thousand stairs just behind him.  
"Now we ascend." At the sight of Tidus's face (which looked horrified) Teal added, "Don't worry! We'll be there in no time."

Teal and Thy were leading the group, with Paine, Yynx, Aureolin and the others not far behind. Teal reached the top and turned to face the rest, making note of Thy's rhythmic stride after he reached the top. Everyone made it to the top with no problems, except Aureolin who crawled the last hundred. As he reached the top, he gasped for air, then sprawled out on the ground on his back.  
"Where…is…Ki…Kimah…ri?" Aureolin was struggling for air as he asked this.  
"Huh! I hadn't even noticed he was gone!" Teal shrugged it off, and turned to Yuna. "Any idea where he'd have gone?" Yuna shook her head, and Rikku peered out to the Airship.  
"Hey! I think I see him! He stayed back on the Airship!" Rikku jumped excitedly.  
"Why would he stay behind?" Teal asked Yuna.  
"I think…he's having a hard time trusting all of you." After Yuna said this, Teal looked down in anguish. If they couldn't get Kimahri to trust them, would they be able to take down this new threat?  
"Well, we will have to work on that later. For the time being, everyone head inside." Yynx nodded, and led everyone in. Teal looked one last time at the Ronso, who was standing cross-armed looking in Teal's direction. Kimahri could see Teal very clearly, although Teal did not know this. Teal sighed, a sad angle on his brow, and turned to walk into the Shrine. Kimahri noticed this, and felt a hint of guilt. Maybe he was being irrational? The human had shown nothing but kindness since he'd met Kimahri.

Teal entered the Shrine, to see everyone waiting.  
"Okay, I'll be right back." Teal looked in Uindo's direction. "I'm going to ask Uindo what we should-" Teal trailed off, noticing a large mass at the foot of the Crystal. He ran to it. "Uindo? Uindo!" Teal got close enough, and made the mass out to be Uindo lying on the ground. "Uindo, what…how…Uindo!" Teal reached the pedestal and started to climb, fear in his eyes and panic in his breath. Yuna and the others watched on from afar.  
"What's going on? Why does he seem scared?" Yuna sounded worried, and directed her question to Briar, who seemed like he knew what was happening based on the horrified expression on his face. The young man looked at her.  
"Uindo may be hurt, it seems the Shrine was attacked!" Yuna, shocked, turned and ran toward Teal to help.  
"No, Yuna you can't!" Kunori yelled this out. "Only a summoner can get close!"  
Yuna continued to run toward Teal. By now Teal was screaming the name of his friend in desperation, hoping the Deity was still alive.  
"A summoner? Yunie was a summoner," Rikku informed those who hadn't already known.  
"She what?" Aureolin looked at the girl in surprise. It was true, just four years ago Yuna was able to summon Aeons, and she had made it to Teal with no trouble.

"Teal, here! Let me help you." Teal looked at her, and nodded. Teal cupped his hands together and gave Yuna a boost up.  
"Yuna, there's a crystal there on the pillar. Touch it!" Yuna complied, and after it glowed a bright green, the marble block Teal was standing on rose three feet. He jumped and gripped the ledge, and pulled himself up easily. Brushing himself off, he turned and faced the Deity, lying on its side. Teal slowly walked toward Uindo, it was covered in ice, completely frozen over. Teal knelt beside his friend, and put his hand over Uindo's forehead.  
"U-Uindo…hey, c'mon!" Teal felt his face get hot, his eyes watered. Yuna knelt beside him, and placed her hand consolingly on his shoulder. Suddenly a soft voice spoke out, gentle but sorrowful.  
"Teal?" Teal looked down, smiling at his friend as a tear slid onto the Deity's hand, which was now touching Teal's cheek.  
"Uindo! Are you okay? What happened?" Teal was desperate, he needed to find out who did this and get them back.

"Bond…trust, and flourish." Teal looked at Uindo, puzzled. How could the Deity be cryptic at a time like this?  
"Uindo, who did this?" At this, Uindo began to cringe. Teal gripped its hand. "Uindo? Uindo! No, please! Why?" Yuna looked away, and Teal cried even harder. Uindo began to glow, and slowly rose up into the air. Teal held its hand until the Deity got too high, and his hand slipped away.  
"Uindo? Wait, no!" After the Deity rose up to the Crystal's level, it sank back inside slowly. The Crystal flashed twice, and cracked. Teal looked at it, stunned, and then realized what had just happened. He grabbed Yuna's hand and pulled her down off the ledge, and ran back a bit. The large Crystal cracked further, then shattered. Millions of tiny turquoise shards scattered about, and the pedestal was now covered in crystal dust. Teal looked at the pillars that once encased the beautiful Crystal, and dropped to his knees.  
"UINDO!" Teal cried out a long howl, loud enough to shatter a Crystal on its own. He buried his head in his arms, and let the tears flow. He would defeat this new evil, he had to. Uindo had sacrificed itself to let the heroes from Spira through, and Teal was not going to let that death be in vain. Rising to his feet, the tears still falling, Teal turned his head back to the group.  
"Guys, we need to learn to trust each other. Uindo died to let you through the rift because we needed you. Let's…not let that go to waste. I'm going to do my best to save Excel again, I'd be honored and appreciative if you helped me." Everyone looked at the young man with empathy, and made agreeing gestures, some nodding, others saying 'okay' or 'yes'. Yuna looked at Teal, and grabbed his arm.  
"Come on, we should get going." She spoke softly.

"Okay…"

Teal was lying in his room aboard the Airship. He was alone, being the only one aside from Kimahri to not be rooming with someone. Kimahri. The one who didn't seem to want to trust anyone. It had been an hour, and the images kept flowing through his mind. Uindo lying in agony. The Wind Crystal shattering. Then there was the stubborn blue behemoth standing cross-armed, as if he could care less.

"I bet he doesn't care. Not like he should, it's not his world." Teal didn't care if he was thinking aloud, after all he'd been through he was allowed to act crazy.  
But he didn't want to. Teal stood up and walked out of his room, making his way up to the sundeck. Yuna and Tidus were standing at the rail, facing the front of the ship. Teal figured he wouldn't bother them, and instead walked off to find the pilot. After entering the wheelhouse, Teal walked up to the Pilot.  
"Hey, make way for Battal. We'll need to get a bigger ship, to gather our other allies."

"Ay. I was jus' gettin' used to yer lot." Teal patted the pilot on the back.  
"What's the fare? 5000 gil for the day, right? Here's 10,000 for your help. Thanks."  
"Hehehe, no. Thank ye!" The man chuckled and pocketed the bag, then started heading for Battal. Teal smiled and walked back to the deck. Here, he saw Yynx and Rikku chatting, while Aureolin stood cross-armed, mimicking…Kimahri. Teal looked away, hoping the behemoth would scare Aureolin off, but gave up hope when Kimahri growled and Aureolin remained adamant.  
"Hey, Yynx. We're headed back to Battal, okay? I want you to take Jett and find a large Airship so we can gather everyone. But we're spending the night in Battal."

"Okay. Hey, Teal…are you alright?" He heard the sympathy in her voice.

"I'll be okay. I've lost too much, we all have. I don't want Uindo's sacrifice to be in vain." Teal had sorrow in his voice. Kimahri's right ear twitched at hearing it.  
"Okay, but if you need to talk, I'm here," Yynx finished. Teal nodded and said thanks, then walked away, past the Ronso staring off into the sky. As Teal passed, his hand just barely grazed Kimahri's tail, which jerked away suddenly. Teal kept walking, thinking nothing of this, but Kimahri looked at Teal for a moment as he walked away. Maybe he was wrong about this one. He walked up to the sundeck to be near Yuna and Tidus, as the Ronso felt comfortable near his friends.

Wakka kicked his Blitzball against the wall in his room, his roommate Briar wondering what it was. The two had been talking for several hours now, but he hadn't bothered to ask.

"Wakka, what sort of ball is that, exactly?" Wakka chuckled.

"It's a Blitzball. The biggest sport in Spira, ya?" Briar looked puzzled. "You go into a sort of underwater dome, and kick or throw it around until you score a goal. Tidus is the best player I've ever laid my eyes on. Managed to help my team win the biggest tournament."  
"Sounds like a great feat to accomplish." Briar was impressed with Tidus, and curious, but restrained his questions.

"Tidus is a special person, ya? Came from our past, but he was made up by the Fayth. Yuna helped him get a second chance at life." Wakka had stopped kicking the Blitzball. "He disappeared when we beat Sin, but Yuna never gave up, ya? She saved Spira again, with Rikku and Paine, and the Fayth restored Tidus." Briar nodded, these heroes had been through just as much as he and his allies had.

Paine and Kunori were standing up on the crow's nest, looking out into the sky. They hadn't been talking, but Kunori had jumped up about the same time Paine climbed the ladder. Paine decided to break the ice.

"Is Teal always so emotional? He's a good leader, but those feelings could cloud his judgment." She couldn't help but feel sorry for the young man. Yynx had told her a while ago about how much Teal had gone through, from the attack on his village to having to kill his own brother, and now Uindo, who he cared about very much. Kunori shook his head.

"It takes a lot to bring Teal to that level of emotion. The death of a friend or loved one, as far as I know, is the only thing to have done it." Paine scoffed.

"I almost died myself, I never cried. Well, he seemed to bounce back quickly, I'll give him that." Kunori looked at Paine.

"Do not take him lightly. Teal is easily the strongest of any of us with the exception of Kurenai and Arcans, whom you've not yet had the pleasure of meeting." Paine looked away, she hadn't meant to insult Teal, but it had come out the wrong way. Oh well.

Yuna and Tidus were standing out on the Sundeck, staring at the sky and talking.  
"Reminds you of that day on the boat, huh? On our way to Kilika?" Yuna couldn't contain her giddiness, she was very happy to be with Tidus now. They finally had a moment to themselves as husband and wife.

"Yeah. But let's hope this time a giant monster doesn't rise from the ocean and knock me overboard," Tidus laughed, pulling away from the rail and stepping backward a bit. "I love you, Yuna. You and I are going to be happy back in Besaid in no time."  
Yuna smiled, and her thoughts returned to Teal.  
"Yes, but…after we help Teal, and the others." Tidus nodded to her, and looked back out to the bright sky. Yuna couldn't help but laugh, he had a bit of stubble growing on his chin. He had grown so much. She had too, but right now she looked like she did four years ago. Minus the furisode.

"Yuna, Teal was pretty sad, huh?"

"Yes. But he's okay now, I think. I hope so, anyway." Yuna looked down, unsure. Maybe they should go check? Yuna gripped Tidus's hand, and pulled him. "Come on, let's go see!" He nodded and followed. The two made it to the steps, but stopped when they saw Teal headed up the stairs, Kimahri behind him, though not walking with him per se. Yuna looked at Kimahri and smiled, and then looked empathetically to Teal, who gave a sly smirk, then spoke.

"I need to talk with you two."

"Did you want Kimahri along as well?" Yuna chuckled. Teal turned, not having noticed the large being behind him, and shrugged.

"The more, the merrier?" He laughed out. The two walked up the staircase, and Tidus led Yuna to the rail again. Teal leaned his backside against the rail next to Tidus, while Kimahri stood near the staircase, ever sturdy.

"We…we're headed for Battal, Yynx's home city. We'll spend the night there, then take off on another ship. A bigger one, We need to gather other allies." Tidus's jaw dropped.

"Others? How many allies do you have?!" Teal smirked again, and lifted his head to look up to the clouds above them.

"There are quite a few of us. Me, Briar, Yynx, Aureolin, Thy and Kunori are roughly half of the Guards. The ones who protect Excel." Yuna thought for a moment.

"If there are that many of you, this new enemy must be pretty tough if you need our help, too."

"My thoughts exactly," Teal said without a glimmer of emotion. "Yuna, you can summon, right? Are you able?" Yuna looked down, thinking.  
"I summoned Aeons given to me through the Fayth. Yours are different."

"I can lend you some to practice with. Hold out your hands." He turned to face her and motioned his hands out, palms forward. Yuna mimicked this, and spread her hands out in front of her. Teal began to speak.  
"Orion and Valefor, please lend your strength to Yuna. Accept her as your ally as I have. Please!" With a spark, and a jolt between the two summoners' hands, it was done. Teal dropped to his knees, coughing, while Yuna felt a surge of strength in her arms.  
"Teal, are you alright?" He held his left shoulder, but nodded. After he rose to his feet, he smiled.  
"Try summoning! Go on, summon either! They both fly, but Orion's element is light and Valefor's is-"  
"Wind. I know. Valefor was my first Aeon." Teal looked at Yuna in surprise.  
"Valefor was? Maybe…the summoned ones aren't attached to just one world?" Teal looked amazed. "Go on, summon! Do you need a staff? Here, use mine." Teal held out his Tri-Bo, but Yuna shook her head.  
"No, not yet. Let's practice later, okay? Thank you, Te-" At this, the Airship shook. There was a loud roaring, and a swift black mass slammed into the side of the Airship. Teal stumbled back down to his knees. Kimahri was forced into the rail hard and Tidus tripped and rolled toward him. Yuna held onto the rail, but after the flying thing stopped grinding alongside the side of the Airship, she was jerked to her side over the rail. Yuna had fallen off the Airship entirely. Teal regained his composure and took off running, jumping over the rail after Yuna. Kimahri had caught Tidus, but had left him holding onto the rail and launched himself off the Airship as well, following Teal to catch Yuna. The mass flew away, leaving Tidus in a daze. When he recovered, he was frantic. This was the S.S Liki all over again. Except this time he hadn't been the one to fall overboard.

This time, it was Yuna.

Yuna sped downward, spiraling faster and faster. She could see a great amount of blue- was it the sea or the sky? Yuna spread her arms and legs outward to regain control of her body, facing the direction in which she was plummeting. Trees and a lake were all she could make out through the air battering her face. She breathed fast and short, taking care not to suffocate herself. Ten more seconds and she'd be a goner. Maybe now would be the proper time to summon? Wait, she didn't have a staff! Yuna closed her eyes and waited for the end.

It didn't come. She had felt something under her, but when she opened her eyes it wasn't ground at all, it was blue. Furry. Kimahri had jumped after her! She smiled, and he handed her his spear. She could use it as a staff and summon Valefor! Yuna gripped the spear and waved it, thinking strongly about her first Aeon. There was a thunderous clash, and from the sky Valefor swooped down and caught the two. Teal above them had seen this, and used his Tri-Bo to summon Astra. The maiden of the heavens had send a Gravity spell toward the young man, who was now more worried that someone else had fallen than his own safe landing. Sure enough, looking about Teal noticed Thy, tumbling and spinning toward the ground. Teal pointed to his friend, and Astra sent a Gravity spell toward him as well.

Yuna and Kimahri had landed first, in a forest near a lake. Yuna released her grip on Kimahri's spear, thus returning Valefor to rest. Kimahri helped Yuna to her feet, and looked up for Teal who had jumped off the ship to rescue her. Teal was still falling, Kimahri growled. The fool had jumped into danger and was too scared to save his own hide. Then Kimahri noticed Teal moving closer to another falling mass, the wolfkin boy? None of the others had such long white hair. Kimahri lifted Yuna up onto his back and ran quickly toward the area the two boys were falling near.

Reaching a small glade, Kimahri let Yuna down and looked up to see the boys falling while holding each other's arms. Thy moved from Teal, and then landed on a tree branch, not even flinching. Kimahri looked on in shock as Teal landed in a crouching position on one knee, and then stood up as if he hadn't been harmed at all. He turned toward Kimahri.  
"Thanks for the help, Kimahri." Teal smiled at the Ronso, who felt the need to stare the young man down until he turned away.  
"Teal! There're apples up here! Want me to pick 'em?" Thy asked this lavishly.

"Sure, Thy! You guys want apples?" Teal looked at Yuna, and then in Kimahri's direction; he felt sort of intimidated by the huge fellow. Yuna cheered.  
"Yes! I'm starving. I haven't eaten _anything_ all day!" Kimahri felt hungry as well, though he'd rather test his luck on a hunt than eat anything from the _wolf_.

"Here, Teal!" Thy tossed down apple after apple, until there was a pile of a dozen or so. "Don't forget to save the seeds!" Teal smiled at how much Thy cared for nature.

"Kimahri, do you want some?" Yuna put her hand on his shoulder, he seemed to want to go somewhere. The Ronso let out another low growl, whispering in Yuna's ear. He walked off in the direction opposite of Thy, and vanished through the shrubs.  
"What is it, Yuna? Still doesn't trust us?"

"No, it's not that. He wants to hunt for meat, and look for a high place for us to sleep tonight, since he doesn't think we'll be able to meet up with the others."

"Well, he's right there. But I know the direction Battal is in, so if worst comes to worst we'll just trek there and meet up with them. Won't take more than a few days." Teal suddenly remembered something. "That thing that rammed us, anyone get a good look?"  
"No," Yuna said sullenly.  
"Nope!" Thy remarked.

"Hmm… I wonder if it saw us fall? Maybe it lives around here!" Teal began to plot to take the monster down, but gave up after seeing the looks on Yuna and Thy's faces. "Um…Thy, go after Kimahri. See if he needs any help."  
"What if he doesn't?"

"Help him anyway." Teal laughed and motioned for the wolfkin to head on. "Yuna, now's a good time to practice summoning!" Yuna nodded to him, and walked over to the pile of apples, picked one up, and bit into it. Teal pulled out his Tri-Bo, and pulled off a segment. He handed it to her, and stood back.  
"Okay, I'll try Orion now. "Orion, lend me your strength!" Yuna spun around with the segment of the Tri-Bo in both hands, and looked up in awe at the silvery being that seemed to materialize from nowhere just above her. She pointed to a puddle. "Show me what you can do!" Orion waved a hand from his side in an upward motion, and the puddle rose into the air, taking the form of a ball of light, which shot toward a tree and flashed. The light blinded Yuna for a second, but when she looked back the tree was gone. Teal chuckled.  
"Good thing Thy wasn't here to see this, huh?" Yuna laughed and looked up to the sky.

"Yes, he wouldn't be so happy with me, would he? Hey, Teal? Could…I ask Orion to find Tidus?" Teal looked down to the grass.  
"I feel bad, you were just married and you haven't spent any time together. I feel so selfish because of it, who are we to bring you over into our world on your happiest day?" Teal started to pace. "Yeah, if you ask him to find Tidus, he'll let you see him. But Tidus won't see you, just Orion. He'll hear your voice, though." Yuna smiled.  
"Orion, could you go to Tidus for me?" Orion, with a nod, spun and vanished, then Yuna's eyes started to glow. She could see him, she'd talk to him.

Kimahri was fast. Thy really admired that. If he were as strong as the Ronso, maybe he'd be treated with more respect by his peers back then. He'd instead had to learn magic, and even then was treated like dirt. Thy hopped down from the tree he was in, and landed next to Kimahri, who had stopped to smell out prey. Thy looked up at him.  
"There are some Aldgoat up ahead, they sensed you coming and fled." Kimahri looked at the wolf boy. Why was he following Kimahri? Disregarding the boy, Kimahri turned his attention to the rustling up ahead. He sped toward it, and jumped over the fallen trees in his path. He spotted one of the 'Aldgoat' and lanced it down swiftly; it hadn't even tried to escape. Kimahri noticed some sparks coming from its feet, and looked back at Thy. The boy had used magic to paralyze the Aldgoat, and had taken the pain from the animal. He couldn't bear to see an animal suffer, so he had made its death swift and painless. Kimahri was angry at Thy, he had taken the thrill from the hunt! But he was more hungry than bored, so he let it slide. Thy saw the hint of rage in Kimahri's eyes, and pointed behind the Ronso.

"Hey, see that hill? We could stay there tonight!" Kimahri looked to where Thy had motioned, and closed his eyes. Thy walked toward it, but Kimahri held out his arm to halt the boy.  
"Why did Thy follow Kimahri?" Thy was shocked at hearing the feral voice of the Ronso, and looked straight at Kimahri's mouth.

"T-t…Teal asked me to help you." Kimahri pushed the boy back.

"Thy does whatever Teal says? Thy looks like wolf, act like dog pup." Thy got mad at this, and slapped Kimahri's hand aside.  
"I do not! I just do what he can't do, because…the grown ones have lots to deal with. I gotta do what I can, help them any way I can. You're our ally now! That means I gotta help you, too!" Kimahri looked at the whelp, and growled. But he was right, Kimahri was their ally now. He walked up to Thy and put his hand on the boy's shoulder.  
"Kimahri's ally holds great strength." Kimahri remembered what Thy had said to him on the Airship. Thy looked up at Kimahri and smiled.  
"Thanks! Not as strong as you, though. If I were stronger, the villagers wouldn't have teased me as much before Dens died." Kimahri looked puzzled, but listened. "Dens is…was my uncle. He was the leader of our tribe, but…he died. Two years ago, when we all battled Argathi. I became the leader, and everyone stopped teasing me, but mostly because I was the leader." Kimahri felt for the boy, and pointed to his horn.

"Kimahri hornless Ronso. Kimahri small Ronso, was teased by others. Biran and Yenke beat Kimahri, break Kimahri's horn. Call Kimahri 'Hornless'. Kimahri leave Gagazet, and grow strong. When Kimahri return with friends, Kimahri beat Yenke and Biran alone. Friends keep Kimahri strong." Thy smiled up at Kimahri.  
"Let's go get Yuna and Teal, okay?" Thy cast Barrier over the Aldgoat to keep it fresh, and the two walked off.  
-

Kimahri and Thy were sitting near each other in front of a campfire. Yuna was sitting with Teal, she had told him and Thy everything about her life, how she was half Al-Bhed and the people of Spira hated them, how she had to hide it. She told them about her pilgrimage with Kimahri and her friends, and her adventure with Rikku and Paine. Teal smiled.  
"I'm glad you got a happy ending to your journey, Yuna." His eyes were full of sorrow, but he closed them and turned away. Yuna noticed, and had to ask.  
"What's wrong, Teal?" Teal opened his eyes, staring into the fire.  
"This…reminds me of so long ago. Back in Arms Isle, with Scarlett, and Aureolin. And…and Cyan." Teal's voice faltered at the name of his brother.  
"Who's Cyan?" Yuna asked this slowly.  
"My older brother. He's…gone. My parents were summoners, and we all lived in a small village named Aest. People found out…that my parents could summon. Being scared of Argathi, who could summon as well, the villagers never treated my family kindly. One night, the village was set on fire, nobody knew how. I was asleep, I was only about eight or nine. My parents woke me up, and helped me downstairs. I…made it out of the house with Cyan, but my parents didn't. The roof had caved, and they were trapped inside. Everyone watched, none of the villagers cared if the summoners died. I…lost my parents that night." Teal had to regain his composure, and Yuna was looking sympathetically to him. He continued.

"Cyan and I were sent to Arms Isle, to live with a relative who always treated us like scum. When he was 17, Cyan joined the Guard- the warriors who protect everyone. Our relative died, but she never really liked us. People treated us differently, we couldn't summon, so nobody hated us there. Cyan was old enough to be my guardian, and two years later I joined the Guard too. With Scarlett and Aureolin, my only friends then. Cyan was our squad leader, and he…he trained us hard and taught us to be strong. That was five years ago, and we were all sitting around a fire back then. We were happy." Teal sighed. Yuna turned to face the fire, and Kimahri took a bite of his Aldgoat meat. He felt bad for the young man, Teal had been through just as much as Kimahri. Teal drank some water from his canteen, then continued.  
"I wish it had ended like that. Three years ago, Cyan sent me on a supply run, he stayed back with Aureolin and Scarlett. I went without my Guard uniform, cause it was to the house of one of Cyan's friends. I was gone for two days, I went to scavenge some old ruins for salvageable parts to sell. I accidentally stumbled into a Feral's cave. It was Ifrit, and he told me he would give me his power if I did him a favor. I told him I would help, but I didn't want to summon, and he asked me to quench the thirst of the flames…in the village of Arms Isle. I was scared, more confused than anything. I rushed back to Arms Isle, and by the time I got back the city was a savage inferno. I rushed in to help, but most of the city had been evacuated. I…I ran to the Guard tower. I had to make sure Cyan was okay, but he was there…fighting Aureolin. He pushed Aureolin off the tower, over a cliff. I thought he was dead, I found out later that he survived and was found by D-" He stopped here, looking at Thy. Thy nodded, and gave a small sigh.  
"It's okay, Teal." Teal closed his eyes, feeling the tears well up.

"By Dens, Thy's uncle. But, in the tower, Cyan…he wasn't him. He attacked me, I almost died, then Ifrit saved me. He gave me his power even though I had said I didn't want it, and I'm glad now. I beat Cyan… and I dealt a finishing blow. Cyan was…crying. Choking on the fumes, covered in blood. He told me to 'be strong' and 'get away from Arms Isle'. I noticed he had been…wearing my uniform, Cyan and I looked very much alike. He…died, and I didn't even have time to cry. I took his uniform and left the tower, when they found him in my clothes the villagers thought I had started the fire, because Scarlett had seen Cyan in my clothes doing it. By then, I was already out of Arms Isle and headed north to Battal. Cyan started the fire, both of them. Argathi had possessed him."

Yuna had been holding her hands over her mouth. Teal had to kill his own brother? Kimahri looked over to Teal, wide-eyed and brimming with empathy, something he never thought he'd feel. How could fate have been so cruel to such an innocent youth? Teal told them the rest, about meeting his friends, becoming a lunatic who thought he really was Cyan, being saved and saving Excel from Argathi. Teal looked at the fire. He turned to look at Kimahri, who was staring back at Teal with such sad eyes. Teal felt like he was about to get pounced and covered in fur. Maybe Kimahri wasn't so cold?  
"I'm…gonna sleep. You guys should rest too. We have a big day tomorrow." Teal stood up and walked over to a tree, lying his head against it. Thy put the fire out, and Yuna and him both fell asleep next to it, quite swiftly. Kimahri was sitting, in the same spot, across the fire, looking directly at Teal. Teal could see the yellows of Kimahri's piercing gaze, fixing straight to his own. After a few minutes, Teal held a hand up, motioning for Kimahri to come closer. The Ronso complied, and sat right next to Teal. Kimahri whispered, so all anyone else could hear was a growl.  
"Kimahri trust Teal. Teal protect Yuna, Kimahri protect Teal. Kimahri protect friend." Teal was happy to finally hear the Ronso's voice, which was new to Kimahri, who was used to seeing a shocked reaction.  
"So, you _can_ talk. Kimahri?" Teal whispered, the two sitting merely feet from each other. "Thanks. I trust you, too. Hey, let's get some rest. I wanna get up early and hunt for some Aldgoat. Wanna join me?" Kimahri happily nodded, and the two lied down and dozed off; Kimahri happy to be close to someone, and Teal happy to be Kimahri's new friend.


	5. Chapter 4: Shifting Winds

Untold Fantasy  
Chapter 4: Shifting Winds

Teal awoke with a yawn- the bright, scattered beams of sunlight shining through the leaves from above. Turning his head to the left, he saw a furry blue mass, purring lightly between snores. He laughed, then stood up, and looked toward the extinguished fire pit. Yuna and Thy slept on opposite sides of it, neither of them looked like they were about to wake soon. He leaned over and picked up his weapon, slinging it over his shoulder and brushing his hair out with his fingers. After dusting himself off with both hands, Teal turned to the sleeping Ronso.

Teal didn't want to disturb him, but he didn't want to go hunting out here in unfamiliar parts alone. Besides, Teal had already asked him if he wanted to join. He slowly moved over to Kimahri, and reached down to shake the burly shoulder.

"Kimahri? Hey, you all rested up?" He moved back as the large catlike man stretched and was up on his feet swiftly. "Good morning!" Teal tried to sound as cheery as he could. The Ronso just stood, waiting. Teal laughed anxiously and turned to walk into the woods. "Um…There should be a group of Aldgoat nearby, I saw some shed fur not too far when we came through." Kimahri just nodded, and walked along with Teal.

Kimahri noticed that Teal seemed pretty well rested, an odd thing for someone who tossed and turned so much in his sleep. But Kimahri knew why Teal seemed so haunted. _He was._ Everything he knew about the young man was so sad. It was amazing that he could keep a smile through all of it. Except when he had cried. It made sense now, but back when Teal had come back to the Airship with tear stains on his cheeks Kimahri had written the boy off as weak. But after hearing of everything Teal had to handle, Kimahri knew.

Teal was the strongest person he had ever met.

Yuna and Thy woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and a warm breeze. Yuna had been the first to actually get up, but Thy had woken after hearing the shuffling of feet. Two sets, one small and light, the other heavy but gentle. He smiled, those two were getting closer.

"Thy, would you light the fire again? The others may be back soon." Thy nodded, they had been sitting and chatting for quite some time.

"Yuna, why is Kimahri so loyal to you? Is it like how I am with Teal?" Yuna thought for a second.

"What do you mean?" Thy chuckled, he hadn't been very specific.

"I saved Teal's life once, and now I kind of feel protective of him. Is it that way with you two?" Yuna smiled and nodded.

"Kind of, Kimahri has protected me since I was a small girl. He's my oldest friend. We met when Sir Auron- a friend of mine- asked him to find me for my father and take me to Besaid, my home. Then I asked him to stay, and he did."

"Oh. Teal's my oldest friend, too. So me and Kimahri are alike!" Thy smiled wide, glad to hear that he was as loyal as Kimahri. "Hmm…they've been gone a long while. We should look for them." Yuna nodded, and the two rose to their feet.

Kimahri and Teal were sitting on a log, cutting meat from their prey. Teal had rounded up an Aldgoat and three Hares, and Kimahri felled an Aldgoat and a Buffalo. Kimahri was just cutting for the meat, whereas Teal was carefully salvaging each part. Kimahri gave Teal an odd look. The day before, Thy and Kimahri had slain an Aldgoat, but Teal had prepared the food while the others washed up in a nearby river (or practiced for a bit in Kimahri's case). Now he saw the young man efficiently cutting meat from bone, fat from meat, and even keeping the pelts intact. This boy was starting to impress the Ronso.

"Why does Teal keep the pelt? Does Teal need clothing?" Kimahri's question seemed genuine, and Teal couldn't help but smile at it. He shook his head.

"Not me, I have a friend in Arms Isle who uses pelts to make clothing. She pays a lot for Aldgoat, and these Hares make good socks. Also, some of the bones from the Hares are great for digging out the fat from the meat." Teal was smiling and seemed to really be enjoying himself. The Ronso smiled (but barely) and stood up. He'd have to get Teal to tell him more after they brought their hunt back.

Kimahri lifted the Buffalo over his shoulder; he'd only hunted it for fun, but he felt it deserved a proper burial. He would cast it out into the river, let its spirit flow downstream and see the forest once more. The Aldgoat, however, would serve the purpose of filling his stomach and earning Teal a few more Gil. Or whatever the currency was here. Teal had filled a bag with Aldgoat meat, and was pouring salt inside after each piece. Kimahri was sure this served a purpose as well, but didn't feel like asking. When Teal was finished, he hung the bag over his shoulder, and started off in the direction of the camp.

"Kimahri, what's it like- your home?" Kimahri let out a vexed growl and looked upward. He was just about to speak when a black shape breezed by up above, the wind forcing Teal to drop his bag and fall to one knee. Kimahri dropped his haul as well and lifted the boy to his feet. There was a bloodcurdling roar, shrill and terrifying. Something- instinct or experience- pushed the Ronso to cover Teal, and Kimahri pulled out his lance. Teal began to summon, and spun his Tri-Bo in his hands. Kimahri listened to the wind, tried to hear the beating of wings. Something was flying nearby, headed straight for them.

"Kimahri, duck!" The Ronso knelt down in a flash and saw the monstrous Dragon just as it was soaring overhead (and only a few feet overhead at that). Using his powerful legs, he made a swift jump and landed on a sturdy tree branch.

"Teal, summon!" Kimahri jumped again, this time spearing down on the left wing of the Dragon, who cried out in pain and started to spiral downward. Kimahri rode the fall, grasping his spear tightly as the two plummeted toward the gravel road between two large trees. The Ronso broke away from the monster, and made a small hop toward the closer tree to his left. Stabbing his weapon into the tree, he lifted himself up to stand on it in one full swing, tail flinging about. He was about to watch Teal fight for the first time.

The blonde haired man stood calmly, waiting for the Dragon to make a move. As it rose from where it landed, the monster let out a shrill roar and began to charge toward Teal. Teal, holding his Tri-Bo out in front of him, murmured a few words (which Kimahri only slightly heard).

"Take flight, wings of light!" Although Teal whispered this, his whole heart seemed to be poured into the chant. His shoulders began to glow a bright white, and as if from nowhere, two shining silvery wings that seemed to belong to an angel sprouted and began to beat. He rose up swiftly just in time to dodge the head of the charging Dragon, and turned to face it. "Come on, then! Let's see what you can do!"

The Dragon turned its head toward Teal and spat a wave of fire from its mouth. Just as the fire seemed as if it would swallow Teal, he lifted his three-part staff and slashed downward, sending a wave of light through the flames. In the blink of an eye, Teal was in front of the Dragon. He thrust his Tri-Bo forward and hit the Dragon square in the head, then flew sideways as the Dragon shot out more flames. Teal flew swiftly above this monstrous foe, and in one fell swoop, charged into the Dragon head on and took out both its wings. The two went soaring through trees; but not too far as to be out of sight to Kimahri. The Dragon smacked Teal with its tail, and he flew back a few meters.

"Kimahri, this is the one! The thing that knocked Yuna off the Airship!" Teal was sure of it, he remembered seeing the same tail lashing at the ship as the black shape that had attacked had flown away. Kimahri looked menacingly at the Dragon and let out a loud snarl, then gripped his weapon and kicked out from the tree, shooting straight for the monster that endangered Yuna's life. The Dragon swiped its Buffalo-sized claw at the Ronso, but just barely missed, and Kimahri stabbed through the Dragon's chest.

At the same time, Teal aimed his Tri-Bo for the Dragon and split it into three parts. Each third of the weapon lit up with the essence of a different element; water, fire and wind. Once Kimahri kicked off the Dragon, Teal shot all three parts into its open, roaring mouth. He flew up close and gripped one of the parts, and pulled, the other parts tearing from the maw of their felled opponent.

"Nice work, Kimahri. Maybe we CAN fight like partners, huh?" Teal laughed, his shining wings now vanishing. The Ronso looked at him in shock; had he actually fought with Teal as his partner? Kimahri had just done his own thing, but he realized toward the end they seemed to work in tandem. It just felt natural to him now, perhaps after all that time with Tidus and Yuna back then…

Teal smiled and patted Kimahri on the shoulder, the blue fur-covered man staring on in surprise. Kimahri lifted the pouch of meats over his shoulder and began to walk with his ally. He still couldn't believe what he saw- Teal had summoned some Aeon…and _gained_ its power! He grew the wings of whatever he just summoned! Could Yuna do that? Kimahri stopped walking and opened his mouth to ask Teal what he had done, but Teal turned toward him, smiled, and started to run.

"Kimahri, don't get left behind," he laughed as he ran back to camp, the Ronso following closely behind.

"Yuna, are you okay back there? Want me to wait for ya?" Yuna shook her head as she struggled to catch up to Thy, who had taken the lead and was hunting frivolously for Teal and Kimahri. He had picked up the scent of the two but was unsure where it was leading him. Yuna and Thy had just entered a large expanse with two tall trees and a gravel road winding between. Thy was sniffing around, and Yuna was just looking for any hint that they'd been nearby.

"Thy, over here!" Yuna shouted this after noticing a large black mass slumped over on the ground. She hurried over to investigate, Thy following behind. Yuna's pace slowed to a halt as soon as she saw the blood-stained wing, and the long, bloody tail.  
Someone had slain a Dragon.

Or so she thought.

As fast as she had blinked, the Dragon had lunged forward, attempting to grip Yuna in its maw. Yuna shrieked, jumping back and covering her eyes. As the fangs of the Dragon came within an inch of Yuna's arms, a bright flash sparked in front of her and struck the monster. Yuna opened her eyes to see Kimahri's lance stuck in the neck of the Dragon, and Kimahri snarling as he twisted it with all his strength. Teal was running up toward them, but Yuna couldn't take her eyes off the Ronso, shocked to see him in rage.

Teal's run slowed to a trot, he stared at the blue-furred man staring over toward the three of them. Teal felt something stirring in his gut, a sense of awe; watching Kimahri's muscles unclench and his fur blow in the breeze. He couldn't help but think about how impressive Kimahri looked in that moment.

"Kimahri…wow. Nice jump." Teal couldn't hold back the awe in his voice, he chuckled nervously and turned to Yuna. "You okay, Yuna?" Yuna, still in shock, nodded and fell to her knees. Kimahri moved over to her and lifted her up over his shoulder.

"Yuna needs rest. Kimahri will carry Yuna." With a single whip of his tail, the Ronso sped off back toward camp leaving Thy and Teal to stare in amazement.

"Kimahri's pretty great, isn't he Thy?" Thy looked up at Teal, and nodded sullenly. Teal…was starting to act weird.

"Teal…" Teal looked at his friend.

"Yes?" Thy looked away suddenly.

"Um, never mind. Let's head back. I bet the others are worried, we need to rest up and set out." Thy ran off toward Kimahri and Yuna, leaving Teal alone. The young man stood in the wind, blonde hair lashing sideways, his blue and green eyes staring at the dragon. Kimahri had to protect Yuna, his oldest friend. He sure did a nice job.  
Turning away from the once dreadful foe (now lifeless), Teal walked off toward camp, hoping to meet up with his other friends soon.

Sorry about the length and the time spent writing, I wanted this chapter to have a fight scene in it, and realized if there was a fight scene that making it too long would really make the rest of the chapter boring.

I also got a new job recently and haven't had a lot of time to work on this, so instead of taking 2 months to dish out a 5000-6000 word chapter, I'll be uploading a 1000-2500 word chapter every few weeks.

And I'm working on writing the back stories of each character so you have a nice understanding of them all.  
Hope you liked the Kimahri/Teal staring in awe scenes! I'm really working toward a nice pairing ^u^


	6. Chapter 5: Broken Horns

Untold Fantasy  
Chapter 5: Broken Horns

Teal and Yuna sat next to each other laughing and chatting about their stomachs being stuffed with the food they had all just eaten. Kimahri stood by a tree nearby, and Thy was sitting a few meters from Kimahri's feet playing some music with his magic. Kimahri couldn't help but stare at Teal, smiling and laughing; he was always so vivid. Kimahri never wanted to see Teal cry. The closest he had come to seeing the light pink of the young man's cheeks fade to pale was when Teal had come back from Uindo's shrine with tear streaks and a small frown, but that was all Kimahri ever wanted to see of Teal's sad side.

Kimahri wanted to promise to Teal, as long as he was in Excel, that Kimahri would do his best to keep Teal from crying. But Kimahri couldn't do that. Teal would just look at him as if he were crazy. It all made the Ronso feel…strange. Kimahri looked at Teal and pondered. What did Teal think of Kimahri? How did Teal feel? The sun shone brightly through the leaves above. Yuna looked up to the sky and smiled, breathing in the warm air.

"It's time to go, I'd say. We should head to an open area to signal him. They'll be departing soon." Yuna had spoken to Tidus through Orion, and set up a plan to meet up this morning. Only a few hours had passed since the four had met back up and headed to camp together, and Yuna had seen a shift in behavior for Kimahri. He seemed more sullen and thought-stricken than the day before.

Yuna didn't notice, but there was a connection forming between two of her companions. Both were thinking of the other at that exact moment. As if to have read each others' thoughts, Teal looked to Kimahri, and found his gaze met with the Ronso's. Teal blushed lightly and smiled, then stood up.

"Well, let's head out then!" Teal started out to find an open area in the forest, Kimahri and the others following closely behind.

Tidus drew a breath, and walked up to the man standing beside the large, silvery metallic Airship boarding dock. He paced back and forth a bit, and finally turned toward the man.

"Hey, are you the Pilot?" The man nodded, and turned to Tidus.

"I am. Are you going to tell me who _you_ are?" Tidus sighed, and started to explain.

"I'm looking for my…ah…my wife. She got…lost in the forest, and is gonna send out a signal in a few hours." The pilot looked at Tidus, confused. He looked behind Tidus at the man with the long hair who was accompanying him.

"Just you two, then?

"Yes. We'd like to set out right away, if you don't mind." Aureolin spoke politely, he figured things would go much smoother this way. The pilot scoffed, and held out his grimy hand.

"I charge five-thousand Gil for a full day. I expect half up front." Aureolin laughed anxiously and started to sulk. He had enough, he was just saving it up for something special. But he was sure it would be okay with Scarlett. Gritting his teeth, Aureolin dug out his coin purse and pulled 2500 Gil to hand over. Tidus gave him an appreciative look, and the three boarded straight away.

The sky was blue, not a cloud in sight. Yynx had just woken from her first night as a married woman to find Jett still gone, he had left a note telling her he had gone to his home village to ensure its safety. Letting out a sigh, Yynx stretched and got out of bed. She laughed at the silliness of it all- married for a day and hadn't even seen her husband since. Yynx walked into her changing room and put on her Guard outfit- a short sleeved shirt with a vine design and a pair of high shorts, with a cloak that draped from her shoulders like a cape. She wore a pair of black leather boots today instead of her usual shoes. Looking into the mirror, Yynx fixed her hair and prepared to head out.

"Phew! I hate days like these. Where's the rain!?"

An hour later, Yynx settled on a bench in a small cafe. She had decided to eat something while she could, and was now looking through a menu. Most of the cafes had shut after or during the catastrophe, but this one had been open for over forty years so she was sure the food would be good. After deciding on something, Yynx ordered and relaxed in her chair to wait.

"Hey! It's Yynx!" Rikku chimed from behind her, with Paine trailing behind. Yynx stood up to face the girls.

"Oh, hi! You found me!" Yynx laughed and patted Rikku on the head. Rikku laughed and the three sat at the table at which Yynx had been sitting. "Want anything ladies?"

"I'm good!" Rikku said, with Paine shaking her head. "We're just really bored, we've already been all over the town and there's nothing to do without Yunie."

Yynx laughed. There was always something to do… she could get these two to help her do her rounds!

"Hey…would you two like to help me make my rounds today? We'd just go around helping out everyone in town with whatever they need help with." Rikku nodded and Paine smirked.

"That sounds cool, let's go." Yynx nodded, but then remembered.

"Sure, we'll go! _After_ I eat!"

"Wakka, hold!" Briar was coming up the hill just behind the fiery-haired man.  
Wakka turned and smiled, waving and shouting a loud 'Hey!'. The two started heading for the Lower Battal Guard Tower, Briar just a few paces behind. They had spent quite a bit of time together, being as Briar was without his brother and Wakka was without his wife. They had gotten to know each other rather well in just a few short days, and Wakka was planning on teaching Briar (and Blaine, soon enough) how to play Blitzball.

The duo were about to reach the top of the hill when Wakka pointed out three people down below, running about and jumping around everywhere.

"Who d'ya think that is?" Wakka asked this while looking out to see them. Briar shrugged, and they carried on into the Tower. The entry hall was looking as vivid as ever, with Monks and new recruits both training and preparing for monster hunts.  
Wakka and Briar were staying here until Teal and the others got back, since there was no room at the inn. Sitting on a bench next to a fountain, Briar brandished his blade and began inspecting it for any flaws or scratches. Wakka sat, tossing his head back and waiting for something not-boring to happen. He counted the number of Monks that passed by, but after reaching sixteen, he gave up.

"I'm bored. When is Tidus gonna get back with Teal and the others?" Wakka stood up and began pacing. Briar sheathed his blade and stood as well, but walked toward a man who seemed distraught.

"Good day, my name is Briar. If you don't mind my asking, would you tell me what has you in distress?" The man turned to Briar with a grimace, and nodded.

"My son is quitting the Guard. I can't imagine why, he seems to have been dispirited recently. Perhaps because he chose to run and hide during the moon event? I don't…do you think you could help him get his spirit back? He was doing so well."  
Briar nodded, and motioned for Wakka to come over.

"Sir, what is your son's name? Where is he?" The man pointed over to a youth who was removing his Guard vestments, and folding them into a bag.

"His name is Roharo. Just, please…find out why he wants to quit." Wakka gave a thumbs-up, and Briar nodded. The two moved over to Roharo, who smiled.

"Well, good afternoon! Are you recruits?" Briar stared quizzically at the young man. He had short, red hair and green eyes, with pale skin and a scar running from his left cheek to his chin.

"You _are_ Roharo, correct?" Roharo nodded.

"I am indeed!" He continued packing his belongings into a bag.

"He doesn't _seem_ dispirited…what do you think, Wakka?"

"Maybe there's more to this, ya?" Roharo looked up questioningly.

"Oh no, my dad sent you? Is this about me quitting? Why won't he listen? I'm not quitting because I've 'lost my spirit', I am quitting because my wife is with child! I need to go be with her, in Armageddor! Please tell him that I need to do this? Farewell." With that, Roharo stood and left the Tower. Wakka chuckled, and Briar stood, shocked. He walked back over to Roharo's father, and gave him the news as Wakka watched on from a distance. The man went wide-eyed and began to laugh.

"I'm going to be a grandfather!" Wakka smiled. As he began to turn around and look for anyone in need of help, a man in light armor bumped into him.

"Hey, watch what you're doin', ya?" The man peered at Wakka, un-amused and careless. His long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes stood out, and Wakka could tell this man meant serious business. The man- a lancer- continued to walk toward Briar and shook his hand, giving Briar a look of surprise. Wakka made his way over.

"Arcans! I can't believe you made your way down here!" The man nodded and turned toward Wakka. Wakka stopped and looked to Briar, then back.

"You. You are not of this world, are you?" Wakka shook his head slowly, and Arcans closed his eyes. "I can see it in your aura. But I see that you are also good. My name is Arcans, a Dragoon from the city Skye."

"Wakka."

"Was that…?"

A spark of light several miles away caught Tidus's attention. It would only take them a few moments to get there at this speed! Then he could hold Yuna in his arms, and apologize for having been too slow to catch her in the first place! Tidus thought back- it had only been a few days ago but he still had so much guilt. Yuna had fallen from the ship, and Teal and Kimahri had jumped after her, with Thy falling off as well. Everyone had run around making sure everyone was alright, when Tidus told them who had fallen and Yynx adding that she had seen Thy fall as well.

He was worried for a whole day after that, until he heard a voice telling him that they were all okay and that he had to get an Airship to look for them as the fall had disoriented Teal and Thy. They had no idea which way was which. After a few seconds, Aureolin was next to Tidus and pointing toward the spark.

"Hey, looks like an Aerospark! Must be them!" He called for the pilot to head toward it, and leaned against the bow rail. "So, Tidus! Why not tell me a bit about yourself, while we have the time?" Tidus looked at Aureolin in dismay, what lunatic could possibly use _this _time for bonding? Oh well, he might as well. At least it would pass the time!

"Er, well I was a blitzball player in Zanarkand and one day this thing called Sin attacked… oh but I guess none of that was real. I found out a few years ago, I was just a dream of the Fayth, made up from memories of the people of Zanarkand of a boy named Shuyin. After we saved Spira, the Fayth didn't have to dream me up anymore. I disappeared. Then Shuyin…he tried to destroy Spira. Yuna…helped put his spirit to rest. I guess after that, I just…came back. But it feels different this time, like everything is real. Last time I could _feel_ it, as if I were just going to fade. Make any sense?" Tidus looked down, he had a lot on his mind.

Aureolin sighed and put his hand on Tidus's shoulder. He understood perfectly, everything he had known up to a certain point in his life had been a lie.

"Tidus, I am not human. I'm what is known as a homunculus. I was created by a witch, who planted memories inside of me and dropped me outside of Arms Isle, where I was adopted by my foster parents and grew up. I had to tell everyone that I lost my parents in a siege on our village, because I was a sort of Trojan Horse. The witch was an old court mage for the Duke of Arms Isle, who was angry and bitter at having been turned down by him when she proposed courtship, despite having grown with him and being his one true friend, because of her status as a peasant. Anyway, when I was twelve I was to train to become a Guard, and then a Knight-Errant and work my way up and gain trust with the Duke. All so I could kill him, which would have happened had Cyan not torched the village and knocked me out. He gave me major amnesia, and even though countless died, I have to thank him for it. Because he gave me my self-awareness. We all defeated that witch at late point in our journey, and she told me everything. I shouldn't exist, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna stop _wanting _to."

Tidus looked at Aureolin in surprise. How could anyone expect such an eccentric guy to have such a depressing life story? Looking ahead, Tidus's heart skipped as he saw the sparks closer than ever. He gazed down to a clearing and saw four figures that looked like his friends. Smiling, he waved.

"Hey! We're gonna send a rope ladder down! Pilot! Here, please!"

Through the forests on the opposite side of Battal, a trio of young men walked the path to the City of the Fist. The tallest, a man with short, spiked blonde hair who wielded a sword, looked to the skies. They had been traveling some time, and in the few days they had been walking, the moon had not once shifted. It was visible now- hanging between the clouds just opposite of the horizon. The shortest of them had been trailing behind, his long brown hair flipping in the wind and his mallet hanging at his back. He was waiting to find something to fight.

The third was at a height in between with medium length red hair. He wore glasses and had a two-sectional staff. He had the deities on his mind, watching them each shatter one by one, all but Uindo, who had been gone before he and his brothers reached it. He looked ahead to Battal, and frowned. Teal wasn't there, he could feel it.

The four climbed the rope ladder one after another, with Yuna going first. Thy followed her and Teal and Kimahri brought up the rear. Tidus was there to pull Yuna up with a huge smile and a long hug. Thy jumped up on deck, and Teal was pushed up by Kimahri, laughing. Kimahri climbed up and walked off to be alone, which made Teal's smile slowly disappear. Teal nodded to Aureolin and Tidus, and walked toward the bow of the Airship. Thy laughed and went in the cabin to rest, followed by Aureolin.

"We should be back at Battal by nightfall, so just relax okay?" Teal and Yuna nodded. Tidus pulled Yuna close, and looked toward Teal. He smiled a bit, then began to walk off.

"Thanks, Teal. For looking after Yuna." Teal nodded, then leaned to rest on the rail. He removed his jacket, happy to feel the wind.

The horizon was a wild palette of orange and yellows, the wind whistling by as the Surge powered its way through the sky. Teal was staring out to look for Battal, it would be good to see everyone under better circumstances. He had taken his jacket off a while ago, and was starting to feel the chill of the breeze. It didn't bother Teal, but only because it reminded him that Uindo hadn't truly gone. After they saved Excel, Teal would find a way to bring his friend back to a physical form.

"Teal looks cold, Kimahri can help." Teal was shocked that Kimahri had snuck up on him, but smiled as Kimahri placed his large hands on the young man's shoulders. Warm. Teal looked down to his legs and struggled to keep them straight.  
_Don't fall, now… C'mon! He's __**holding**__ you!_

Kimahri didn't seem to find anything odd about Teal's nervousness, so Teal calmed down a bit. Was this real? Did Kimahri feel the same…pull? As if his heart were about to be torn right from his chest? It only seemed to cease when he and Kimahri were near each other. Why was this happening so suddenly? And…with a _guy_?! No, that's not what scared Teal. What if Yuna or Thy saw? Would they care if these two were…together?

"Kimahri…" Teal leaned forward, with Kimahri's hands sliding off his shoulders and down his backside- this made Teal shiver. He didn't want Kimahri to feel rejected, so Teal looked back to the Ronso and motioned his head for Kimahri to join his 'watching', next to him. His friend obliged, and stood next to him looking out to the horizon. Teal smiled warmly. He was about to open his mouth to ask Kimahri something, but the Ronso spoke.

"Kimahri lives on Mount Gagazet. Gagazet is cold, but Kimahri has fur. Kimahri does not miss Gagazet, but Kimahri misses Ronso friends." Teal looked up to the inhuman man. He really wanted to hear all of Kimahri's story.

"Kimahri, tell me. Your story? I want to hear everything from you." Kimahri turned his head and let out a surly sigh. "Okay, fine. If not now…then someday. I want to know you, okay? Can you promise me?" Kimahri wanted to promise Teal the _other_ thing. Telling Teal would only make him sad, and that's not what Kimahri wanted in the least. Kimahri frowned for a moment, and opened his mouth. Realizing Teal was hanging onto this moment- that this brief memory would last Teal a lifetime- Kimahri shook his head.

The Ronso hadn't let the disappointment stir in his friend before he held up his finger, signaling Teal to listen. Teal was looking up at Kimahri with those bright, di-colored eyes- one blue as the ocean and the other green as the forest- Kimahri had stared into them a thousand times over already. The proud warrior placed his hands on Teal's shoulders.

"Kimahri promises one thing. Teal will never cry as long as Kimahri is near."

Teal blushed and started to reach his hands up to feel Kimahri's. He opened his mouth again, as if to speak, but found words hard to come by. Instead, he smiled and turned his head toward the horizon, his hands almost reaching their destination but now moved to grip the rail in front of him. Teal was falling for this strange new man, human or not. He couldn't hold back his feelings much longer- of that Teal was sure. Kimahri sighed again, and turned with Teal, facing the direction the Surge was headed in. Teal put his hand on Kimahri's shoulder, gave him a warm smile, and moved closer as they headed for Battal to meet their friends.

"Thank you, Kimahri."


End file.
